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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25981129">Beachboy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobiyos/pseuds/tobiyos'>tobiyos</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A little angst, Alternate Universe - Surfers, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Pining, Semi-Public Sex, meet cute, no phantom theives you either surfer or you dont, surfer Ryuji sakamoto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:01:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>26,886</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25981129</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobiyos/pseuds/tobiyos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He’s watched this boy tackle waves twice the size of his body, blond hair catching sunlight like sea glass, and he just as easily watches him trip over his own feet and faceplant into the sand right at Ren’s side. Well, fuck. </p><p>How do you <em>not</em> fall in love after that?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akechi Goro/Kitagawa Yusuke, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji, Sakura Futaba/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>200</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hii! Okay, several things:<br/>1. I did so much research for this.<br/>2. I do not surf<br/>3. I have definitely gotten things wrong about surfing<br/>4. please be gentle about point three, because I do not surf, and I did so much research, and I have no one to beta for me </p><p>But this has been my labor of love for the past little bit! It's all written, just needs to be edited (God rest my soul) so I'm hoping to get the last chapter out by fffriday? Probably Friday. The rating will also change by the time I get chapter two out, so it'll probably move into mature/explicit territory. I'll also update the tags!</p><p>Anyway! Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ren spends his summer cooped up in Sojiro’s attic.</p><p>It’s not that bad—not in the <em>not that bad,</em> way you tell your family when they ask how things are, it’s genuinely fine, he’s happy as far as things go—but he’s played through two of Futaba’s old video games before she comes bursting into his room armed with two tote bags she wields like weapons.</p><p>“Get dressed,” she says, and tosses one of the bags to the ground, slides it at him with a sandaled foot. “We’re going to the beach.”</p><p>Ren looks from her to his shitty TV and says, “Uh, no?”</p><p>“Uh, <em>yes,</em> Ren, you dumbfuck. You’ve been cooped up in this room since the semester ended. Summer is supposed to be <em>fun.</em>”</p><p>Ren hits pause on his game and balances the controller on the minimal space his TV doesn’t take up on the table. “Pot kettle, Futaba. You do realize you have been doing the <em>exact</em> same thing, right? Like, I would not see you if Sojiro didn’t make you come over for lunch.” <em>And</em>, he doesn’t add, <em>weren’t you a shut-in until last year? What do you know about summer?</em></p><p>Futaba’s cheeks flush red, and she stops her foot like a toddler. “T-that’s not the point! You’re making me <em>sad</em>, dude! Like, ultra-mega-series-ended-no-companion-specials-in-the-works, sad!” She shivers. “I feel like I’m watching my future.”</p><p>Ren rolls his eyes, but lets curiosity gets the best of him, and he bends over to grab the tote bag. It’s kind of plain, just a tan canvas bag, but Ren is curious what Futaba thought he needed for an excursion to the ocean. Beach towel, folded up inflatables, a pair of flip flops, and a set of too small shades. “You’re barely out of your third year. I’m sure your first-year summer of college will be much different than mine is.”</p><p>“Nuh-uh!” Futaba says, and she’s waggling her finger. She’d probably look more intimidating if she weren’t wearing that near permanent goofy grin of hers. “No excuses, Ren Ren!”</p><p>Ren groans, but he can see the look in Futaba’s eyes. There is a very low chance of him getting out of this, and the work it would take to do so is probably as much effort as just giving in. Whatever, Ren is probably helping her more than he’s helping himself, since he at least leaves his room to run errands and bother Sojiro. “Fine. Go wait downstairs. And, ask your dad, for christ’s sake.”</p><p>“He already knooows!” Futaba sings, as she hops off down the stairs.</p><p>“Honestly,” Ren murmurs, and he’s standing up to go dig through the bag of shit he keeps tucked in the corner of the attic because he didn’t think he’d need any of it. He tracks down his swimsuit. “Someone’s pushy for an ex-hermit.”</p><p>His phone buzzes, and unlocks on its own, accepting the call without Ren even having to look at it. “<em>I can hear you!”</em> Futaba barks, and Ren whips his shirt off over his head.</p><p>“I thought I told you to take all the bugs out of my room.”</p><p>“<em>I did!</em>” She protests, before there’s a pause, and a little <em>mweh</em> noise. “<em>Well… I thought I did! They’re important for monitoring Sojiro!”</em></p><p>“You’re taking those out when we get back.”</p><p>Futaba sighs. “<em>Fine, your highness.</em>”</p><p>He pulls on his half-battered pair of swim trunks and a too dark t-shirt for as hot as it is, before tucking his phone away into the bag Futaba packed. He pauses, and then grabs his earbuds too.</p><p>When he hits the bottom of the stairs, Sojiro grins at him. “Well, look what the cat dragged out.”</p><p>“I don’t think that’s a very nice thing to call your daughter, boss.”</p><p>Futaba smacks her hands on the countertop and rocks back and forth. “I’d be very happy to be a cat, actually!”</p><p>Sojiro reaches across the counter to ruffle her hair, and Futaba makes a delighted squealing noise. “Yeah, yeah. You two have fun. And you,” he says, with a pointed glance in Ren’s direction. “You keep her safe now, y’hear? <em>And</em> out of trouble.”</p><p>Ren does a little mock salute. “Aye aye.”</p><p>“C’mon!” Futaba whines, and she’s sliding out of her chair, rushing over to grab Ren’s wrist and lead him out of the door. “I wanna see the ocean!”</p><p>Ren makes Sojiro hand him a book at random out of the bookshelf, before Futaba pulls his arm off, and he adds it to the steadily increasing sized tote bag.</p><p>The train ride is relatively quiet—relative being that Futaba is chattering the whole time, though she keeps her voice down—until she spots the earbuds in Ren’s bag, and then she gasps, “Oh! Can we listen to something? I’ve been following this horror podcast—” Which is how Ren ends up listening to episode seventy of some story he’s never heard before, but Futaba is humming quietly, and tapping her fingers on her knees, so it isn’t all that bad. At least, until they get to the beach.</p><p>“Woah!” Futaba shouts, and she hops up on her toes to get a better scope of the waterside. “It’s packed.”</p><p>It <em>is</em> packed. Ren can barely see the sand through the crowds of families and spreads of brightly colored beach towels, not to mention the constant stream of noise coming from the stalls set up to sell food and the <em>way</em> too small kids running around. It’s like staring at one of those optical illusion spreads in a book, all the colors and shapes blending into each other until you’re nearly cross eyed trying to figure out what you’re looking at. The sunlight glinting off the water isn’t helping, and Ren tucks his glasses away into his bag too, just so they don’t add to the list of reasons he can’t see.</p><p>“Come on!” Futaba shouts, and she’s puling Ren <em>towards</em> that mess of people. “We gotta find somewhere to set our stuff!”</p><p>The sand is hot, even through Ren’s flip flops. It feels like he’s hovering just above an active volcano, and one slip of his heel is going to send his feet plummeting into molten lava. He doesn’t even know where Futaba got them from but they’re cheap, and Ren will be damned if he breaks them and has to walk barefoot in this mess. Not like each of his steps <em>isn’t</em> kicking up red hot sand against his calves anyway.</p><p>“This is ass,” he mutters, and Futaba just rolls her eyes and keeps moving along, her gaze darting from side to side to find a place for them to sit.</p><p>They end up pretty close to the water, bracketing in by a young woman with a baby napping on her chest and a couple of teenage girls suntanning on their stomachs, the sound of their laughter high as they pass a phone back and forth. Ren sets up facing the water, throwing all his stuff down on a towel and helping Futaba set up the umbrella she brought along, before he peeks into his bag and thinks about starting that book.</p><p>“It’s so hot,” he mumbles again, just because he can’t help it. They’ve barely been out for fifteen minutes and already the sun is starting to boil against his legs, and Ren thinks if this little excursion ends in him sunburnt, he’s never leaving Leblanc again. He peels his shirt off and chucks it in Futaba’s direction, titters when it smacks her in the shoulder.</p><p>“No bitchin’ in my fuckin’ kitchen!” Futaba barks, and she tosses the shirt back even harder.</p><p>Ren is very much about to <em>continue</em> bitchin’, until something out in the water catches his eye.</p><p>It’s a boy, with bleach blonde hair—box dyed, bleach blonde hair—straddling a surfboard like it’s the easiest thing in the world, and Ren can’t even see his face but he thinks that that may be the prettiest human being he’s ever seen. He’s a perfect combination of hard lines and soft angles, big sloping shoulders and tense back muscles, <em>fuck</em>, Ren sees him run a hand through his hair and he thinks he might actually be making him up.</p><p>“The hell’re you looking at?” Futaba asks, and Ren’s eyes don’t even twitch, vision locked on his little mirage of sunshine tucked against the blue of the ocean. Ren thinks he could be a ripple of light he just managed to misconstrue as a person. “What, that surfer guy?”</p><p>Ren’s mouth is hanging open. He’s real. <em>Oh my god he’s real.</em></p><p>“Ew,” Futaba says, and she kicks some sand in Ren’s direction. “Quit ogling boys on the beach, you perv. Gonna give me secondhand embarrassment so bad it’s just straight up embarrassment. Gag.”</p><p>Ren can hear her rustling through her bag for something, but the boy on the board jumps like he’s spotted something, and then he’s flopping onto his stomach and pulling himself and his board out further and Ren sighs because even his <em>ass</em> is nice. What the hell.</p><p>“Earth to Ren,” Futaba says, and there’s a hand wiping past his face. Ren blinks, and glances over at her like he’s looking away from the sun for the first time in too long. Her light jeering has turned into a snide little smirk on her face. “What, imagining a life with him already? Thinking about how you’ll propose?”</p><p>“Hush,” Ren says, and he reaches out to give Futaba the noogie of her lifetime, but she just as easily ducks out of his reach and sticks her tongue out.</p><p> “Gonna get home and tell Sojiro I took you to the beach n’ you just stared at <em>boys</em> all day. Wait.” She takes a nail into her mouth and starts gnawing at it nervously. “Isn’t that what teenage girls do on the beaches in movies? Am I doing this wrong?” She snaps the tip of her nail off between her teeth. “But I don’t like boys.”</p><p>“You could ogle girls?” Ren suggest helpfully.</p><p>Futaba’s nose wrinkles. “Don’t be a pig.” Ren can’t help his laugh even when Futaba sends a dirty look his way.</p><p>“Whatever,” she says, standing. “I’m gonna go change.” She starts digging through her bag, but apparently comes up short.</p><p>“Did you leave your swimsuit at Leblanc?” He asks, and Futaba shakes her head.</p><p>“Aw, man. No, I have my suit, I just forgot to get sunscreen.” She starts to bite at her nails again. “I’m gonna go buy some, okay? I’ll be right back.”</p><p>Ren frowns. “I’ll go with you.”</p><p>Futaba shakes her head and pulls her bag up onto her shoulders. “N-no! I can do it. You just… stay here. Watch our stuff.” She sees the look Ren gives her, equal parts concern and worry. “Really! I’m just going to one of those temporary shops set up along the edge of the shore. A-and I’ve made a lot of progress.” She pumps her fist. Ren can see that determined look in her eyes. “Plus!” she adds, digging through her bag and coming up with an innocuous black container. “Boom! I got pepper spray if somebody tries to fuck with me!”</p><p>Ren winces. “Right. Don’t… uh… don’t put yourself in a position where you have to use that.”</p><p>“I make no promises!” Futaba shouts, and she’s off with a skip, headed back towards the legion of temporary shops. He watches her go, a little worried, but eventually she slips out of his sight, and Ren just has to hold his breath and pray.</p><p>He seems to turn back just in time to see the same bleach blond boy standing on his board, riding a wave that looks <em>scary </em>intimidating. Ren’s body freezes up in concern, but the blond looks like he’s having the time of his life, head tipped back and arms low, his fingertips slashing lines in the wave. He cuts through ocean like a knife, and Ren gasps when he cuts up sharply, twisting off of the crest of the wave and right back down. Of course, it’s only for a moment, and then he’s gone, washed away by the water, and both him and his board disappear. Ren holds his breath until he surfaces again, wiping his hair back with one hand and mouth open in a laugh.</p><p>He looks so easy with it, climbing back onto his board like it’s nothing, his bare torso shining with water, and Ren doesn’t know if it’s attraction or fascination that doesn’t let him look away. He supposes it could be both. He’s never just sat and watched someone surf like this before, wave after wave, and whoever this guy is, Ren thinks he has to be pretty good, considering he wipes out way less than Ren would have expected. He still goes down though, once or twice, and Ren’s breath catches every time.</p><p>Eventually, he starts to swim back to the shore, and Ren cracks a smile when he steps out of the water, gorgeous tan skin glowing like he’s a god, and shakes his hair like a wet dog. The smile fades when he realizes the boy is walking right towards where Ren is sitting, his surfboard tucked up underneath his arm. Ren’s breath leaves his body because he looks even better the closer he gets, all the blurry bits of his wet curls and the muscle on his chest going from blurry to high-res so fast Ren’s brain doesn’t even have time to take him all in.</p><p>He’s watched this boy tackle waves twice the size of his body, blond hair catching sunlight like sea glass, and he just as easily watches him trip over his own feet and faceplant into the sand right at Ren’s side. Well fuck. How do you <em>not</em> fall in love after that?</p><p>“Oh my god, are you okay?” Ren is asking and scrambling out of his seated position to grab the boy by the arm. He grabs onto Ren’s shoulders as he helps him out of the sand, squirming into a half-seated position. He spits out some sand (cute) and blinks big brown eyes up at Ren like he’s eclipsing the sun (<em>cute</em>) and then he’s gasping.</p><p>“Oh, it’s you!”</p><p>Ren laughs, and his face twitches into a confused half smile. “Yeah, I guess it is me.”</p><p>The blond’s face melts into one of gentle embarrassment, his gaze going apologetic. “Sorry! I mean, ah, you… I know you! You’re…uh… Ren, right?”</p><p>Ren’s stomach produces a few choice butterflies at the idea of this gorgeous boy remembering him from somewhere, before dread takes its place, and he’s wincing, a little. “I… um… sorry, have we met before?”</p><p>The boy’s eyes go wide a little bit, and then he smiles, and Ren swears to god it’s like looking directly at the sun for a split second. “Sorry! We go to university together! I’ve sat behind you at a few lectures.” He laughs, and one of his hands comes up and rubs at the back of his neck. “Guess I should have led with that. I’ve only seen your face a handful of times.”</p><p>It’s at that exact moment that both of them realize that the boy is still holding Ren’s shoulder, and Ren still has a grip on his elbow, and they both pull back so fast the boy goes tumbling back into the sand again, and Ren yelps.</p><p>“Ah! Sorry, here,” he extends a hand that the boy takes—his palms are kind of rough, and a little dry, Ren notices, and he thinks he loves it, a little. Ren hauls him back onto his feet, watching as the blond dusts the sand off of his trunks and bends down to tug his board back up.</p><p>His grin is back in full force, and Ren still doesn’t think he’s prepared for it. He wonders if all of this guy’s friends have to wear shades around him. “Thanks, man! I’m Ryuji, by the way! Uh, Sakamoto. I’m Ryuji Sakamoto.”</p><p>Ren shoves his hands into his pockets and tilts his head to the side with a grin. “Ren Amamiya, though it seems you knew that already.”</p><p>Ryuji laughs, and Ren thinks the heavens open up just for that sound. He has to catch himself before he asks Ryuji how literally <em>everything</em> about him is perfect, and also if he’s free on Thursday to hang out on Thursday when Ren is free to hang out, but there’s a very familiar hoot that sounds behind him.</p><p>“Ren!” Futaba shouts, as she comes barreling back towards the blanket. She’s wearing her swimsuit now, a frilly yellow one piece that is still tucked into a pair of shorts. “I got sunscreeeeen!”</p><p>She nearly comes to a tumbling halt when she spots Ryuji, and Ren feels a hand clap on his back, before Ryuji is pushing off of him like a springboard. He’s cheeks are flushed from the sun, and probably a little embarrassment from his fall, but he’s still smiling anyway. “Guess I’ll see you around!” He says, and then he’s off with a wave at Ren and Futaba, jogging back towards the edge of the beach.</p><p>“Holy shit,” Futaba breathes. Ren drops his face in his hands and groans. “I am <em>so</em> sorry.” There’s a tiny hand on Ren’s shoulder, hovering lightly like Futaba is unsure what to do. “I can go get him?”</p><p>Ren shakes his head. “No, it’s… it’s fine oh my <em>god.</em>”</p><p>“You actually talked to him!”</p><p>“He knows me!” Ren groans, and sits back down on the sand. There are probably people staring at his little meltdown, but Futaba is right at his side, a comforting hand still at his shoulder. Ren thinks about every lecture he’s attended, his hair a rats nest and probably vibrating around a shitty cup of coffee, and <em>oh no</em> was Ryuji there for that week where Ren wore the same sweatshirt every day because he barely had time to sleep? How many times has he seen Ren show up late for lectures in his pajamas?</p><p>“Fuck,” Ren groans again.</p><p>Futaba taps him once on the shoulder and lifts up the bottle of sunscreen she’s holding. “Sunscreen?”</p><p>Ren tries to spend the rest of the trip with his face buried in his arms. He does glance up periodically, wondering if maybe he can spot Ryuji again, but he doesn’t reappear anywhere Ren can see him, and Futaba makes him take her out on a banana boat, so Ren forgets to be embarrassed for a little while longer.</p><p>That is, until he’s back sitting on the edge of his bed in Leblanc, staring at his wall, and wondering how A. someone like Ryuji goes to his school and he never noticed, and B. how the fuck he’s going to get Ryuji to talk to him again without waiting until the semester starts.</p><p>It’s sunrise when Futaba startles awake to the sound of Ren pushing into her room like a bulldozer.</p><p>“We are going back to the beach,” he says.</p><p>Futaba groans and rolls over in bed, one of her giant Featherman plushies crushed against her cheek. “Why?” she whines. “I’m exhausted. I’ve never gotten that much sun before.”</p><p>Ren sits in the chair at her desk and swivels the seat back and forth a bit. “It’s—”</p><p>“If this is about that surfer boy, I’m kicking you out of my house,” she deadpans.</p><p>Ren folds his hands in his lap and wonders if it’s worth lying. “Please?” he tries for instead, and Futaba peels out of the bed to sit up.</p><p>“<em>Fine</em>,” she snaps, but the bite of it is hard to feel when she’s blinking huge eyes and ruffled up from sleep. “It’s only because I kinda fucked up your chances yesterday. But don’t expect me to swim around or anything. I’m grabbing one of my consoles.”</p><p>“Deal,” Ren says, and he’s getting excited, standing to go pat Futaba on her sleep-messy head. “Get ready! I’ll go ask Sojiro to make breakfast.”</p><p>“<em>Feh!</em>” Futaba says, and swats at his hand.</p><p>Sojiro is amenable to the idea, though he grumbles as he works, sending Ren a stern look as he drools over a hot plate of curry. “Don’t get used to this, alright? You’re lucky I’m not busy.”</p><p>Ren cocks his head to the side and polishes off his food. “You’re never busy.”</p><p>“<em>Hey</em>,” Sojiro snaps, and Ren is saved from a lecture by Futaba coming through the door, a little perkier now that she’s had some time to set herself up for the day.</p><p>“You’re lucky I like you,” she says, shuffling inside. Her eyes snap over to her food on the counter like she’s got some kind of senor for it, her shoulders drawing up as she gets excited. “Curry!”</p><p>“Make sure you eat,” Sojiro says, as Futaba hops up to slide into one of the chairs. “Don’t want you passing out on the train ride or something.” She shovels food into her mouth so fast Ren thinks she might make herself sick anyway.</p><p>“<em>Yesh shir</em>!”</p><p>“Did everything go okay yesterday?” Sojiro sighs, and Ren opens his mouth to answer before Futaba cuts him off.</p><p>“Ren met a boy!” she says, around a mouthful of food.</p><p>“<em>Chew,</em>” Sojiro barks, and then he’s glancing over at Ren. “So, that’s why you’re making a return trip so soon. A boy, huh?”</p><p>Ren can feel his face going red. “He’s in some of my classes, apparently.”</p><p>“He surfs!” Futaba adds, and Sojiro is sighing again. He doesn’t even bother trying to tell her not to talk with her mouth full.</p><p>“Well,” Sojiro says, with an amused glance in Ren’s direction. “I suppose you are at that age. Oh, to be young and in love.”</p><p>Futaba snickers, and then she’s hopping back off of the chair, and whipping her phone out. “Alright! I’m full of curry energy and ready to finish my game!”</p><p>“Be careful, you two,” Sojiro says, and they’re headed back off towards the station, and Ren feels like there’s an electric storm brewing in his blood.</p><p>The beach is just as packed as it was the day before, though they have an easier time finding a place to put down their stuff, and Ren scans the water for the telltale yellow of Ryuji’s hair as Futaba sprays him down with sunscreen.</p><p>He jumps when she smacks a hand into his back and thrusts the container under his nose. “My turn!” she announces, and then pouts. “You can get back to creepily stalking lover boy after I am protected from harmful UV’s!”</p><p>Ren sprays her once without warning in retaliation, before beginning to make sure her back is covered in the gaps of her tank top. “Don’t you need to go get changed?”</p><p>“Nope!” Futaba says, popping the p. “I just wore my suit under my clothes. Plus, I said I probably wouldn’t be swimming, remember?”</p><p>“Right,” Ren says, though he really doesn’t. He supposes he owes Futaba for coming along with him when she really doesn’t have any more interest in the ocean. “Hey, I’ll buy you a popsicle or something when it gets hot, later.”</p><p>Futaba puts a finger up. “I want cake, instead!”</p><p>“Cake isn’t gonna cool you off.”</p><p>“I don’t want to be cool,” Futaba says, and turns back around when Ren finishes spraying her shoulders. “I want to have cake!”</p><p>“Fine,” Ren says with a laugh, and he tucks the sunscreen away and settles back onto his blanket. “I’ll buy you a <em>piece</em> of cake, then.”</p><p>“Whole cake!” Futaba protests.</p><p>“You’re not going to eat a whole cake. Or… you shouldn’t, at least.”</p><p>“We can bring the leftovers to Sojiro,” she whines, and Ren sighs.</p><p>“Fine.”</p><p>That gets Futaba quiet enough to turn to the console in her hands, and she starts to hum happily, though he can hear how quickly she’s pressing the buttons over everyone else on the beach’s yelling and the waves.</p><p>Ren watches the surfers for a while, still trying to track out that blond tuff of hair, but he’s starting to feel hopeless. Ryuji seemed good enough that he was used to it, so Ren had thought maybe he’d come back, but there is a chance he’s somewhere else on the beach. They’re pretty close to their spot from the day before, but it’s probably impossible to get to the same place every day. He sighs when it starts to warm up more, the gentle chatter of late morning groups fading into the louder chaos of high school and college students as the day wears on.</p><p>“I’m going for a swim,” Ren says, a solid few hours into doing effectively nothing. He doesn’t think Ryuji is here again; he might as well enjoy himself.</p><p>“I’ll hold down the fort!” Futaba suggests, though she doesn’t look up from her game.</p><p>Ren rocks onto his feet and leaves his sandals behind, heading out to walk at the edge of the water. It’s cool, more so than Ren thought it would be with how hot the sand has gotten. His walk takes him a little bit further out into the waves, until he he gets far enough out to dunk his head into the water and shake saltwater out of his curls.</p><p>He’s a solid few meters away from Futaba when he spots Ryuji again. Ren’s heartbeat stutters almost painfully in his chest, and he gets that dizzy panicked feeling his has when he has to take a test he didn’t study for. Ryuji is straddling his board, bobbing up and down gently on the waves, talking to a girl on her own board next to him. She’s tall, with a slim frame and blonde twintails, and Ryuji laughs at something she says, before she’s reaching out to punch him in the shoulder.</p><p>Oh. Well, Ren should have expected this, right? Of course, he has a girlfriend, or something like it—he’s gorgeous and nice and athletic. Ren thinks his feelings are probably more of the rule than the exception.</p><p>Ren drops down into the water up to his shoulders, that little panicky feeling melting into disappointment that <em>hurts</em>. He’s thinking about how to get Futaba home without explaining how he got his heart broken over a boy he’s only spoken to <em>once</em>, when another girl on a board swims out, and Ren actually gasps in shock when the blonde with the twintails leans over and pecks the new girl on the cheek. He thinks the gasp might have been a little too loud, though, because Ryuji glances over his way, and Ren is so startled he doesn’t notice the way too big wave barreling his way until it knocks him over and back, salt water is rushing into his mouth.</p><p><em>Ryuji definitely saw that,</em> Ren thinks, as he just stares at the surface, and doesn’t really make any attempt to right himself into standing again. <em>He saw me get bodied by a wave and now we’ll never get married and have an apartment with like a cute dog or something. This is the end for me. Water my plants, Futaba.</em></p><p>Something breaks the surface like a lightning strike, and there are hands on Ren’s shoulders and his hips, and someone is hauling him back towards the surface so fast Ren hears the water rushing past his head like a thunderstorm. He coughs when he hits the surface, and then nearly passes out when he’s greeted with Ryuji’s face blocking out the sun, his eyes soft with concern.</p><p>“Woah, man. You okay?” He manages to get Ren back on his own feet again, though the hand holding his hip doesn’t move away just yet. “I guess we’re even now, huh?”</p><p>Ren blinks at him twice, and then he can <em>feel</em> his face go so hot he thinks he could fry an egg on the surface of his cheeks. “T-thanks!” he croaks, his voice too high, and then Ryuji is really letting go of him, and Ren has to remember how to stand without Ryuji supporting him because his hands are still as rough as Ren remembers, and his arms are really <em>big</em> and Ren is still laughing <em>too loud</em>.</p><p>“Dude,” Ryuji says, and he’s stepping back to put his hands on his hips. “If I knew any better, I’d think you couldn’t swim.” His mouth parts in surprise. “Oh my god, you <em>can</em> swim right?”</p><p>Ren laughs. “I can, I can. I wouldn’t come this far out if I couldn’t.” He assures, and then he realizes now that Ryuji is <em>here</em> he can talk to him and… go big or go home, right? He bats his eyelashes exaggeratedly. “Well, maybe I would if there we always pretty boys like you out here to pick me up.”</p><p>“That still sounds dangerous!” Ryuji says, but he’s laughing, a little bit of color coming into his cheeks.</p><p>“It’s practically my middle name,” Ren says with a smile.</p><p>“You sure your middle name ain’t ‘easily drown-able’?”</p><p>Ren laughs. “I think that’d be a weird way to name your kid.”</p><p>“So is dangerous!” Ryuji says, with a light push to Ren’s shoulder. God, Ren can’t get enough of his smile, the wide spread of his sharp teeth and the little wrinkle in his nose. He hasn’t realized he’s gone so quiet Ryuji has stopped laughing, and now they’re just standing awkwardly in the water, Ryuji shifting his weight back and forth like he’s nervous.</p><p>“I guess I should—”</p><p>“Actually—”</p><p>They both laugh, Ren crosses his arms lose over his chest. “You first.”</p><p>Ryuji turns his head bashfully and rubs a hand on the back of his neck again. “I, uh, I actually… have a competition at the end of this week. It’d be cool to see you, like, not drowning.”</p><p>“Or from the back of a lecture hall?” Ren adds.</p><p>“That too,” Ryuji laughs.</p><p>The grin that threatens to break across Ren’s face is way too big, and way too dopey. He tries to reign it in a little, but Ryuji is inviting him—him!—somewhere, even if it’s just his own competition. Little dregs of hope take hold in his heart. “That sounds great. I’d love to come.”</p><p>“Awesome, uh.” He glances around, and then grabs Ren by the wrist, and his board with the other hand. “Here, come with me.”</p><p>Ren stumbles his way out of the water with Ryuji holding his wrist, his eyes darting around from place to place, before they catch on something that makes him gasp, and he’s tugging on Ren’s wrist again, they’re darting off to the lifeguard stand down the shore.</p><p>The girl sitting in the chair slides her shades down her nose as they approach, her thin lips pressing together when she catches sight of Ryuji. “Makoto!” Ryuji shouts, and the lifeguard uncrosses her legs to leans over the edge of the chair towards Ryuji.</p><p>“What do you need, Sakamoto-san?”</p><p>“You keep a sharpie on you, right?”</p><p>Makoto frowns, but she digs around in the fanny pack on her hips. “I use this for important matters, you know.”</p><p>Ryuji shrugs and catches the marker when it gets thrown his way. “We callin’ writing down shift times somethin’ important now?”</p><p>Makoto’s frown doesn’t change. “Just hurry up.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” Ryuji says, but he’s turning to Ren and popping the cap off of the marker with his teeth. “Here, I’ll write my number on your arm. I’d let you write yours on the board, but,” he shakes his board a little bit, “competitions are usually televised, and I’d rather not make you broadcast your cell.”</p><p>Ren sticks his arm out with a smile. “I’m glad we’re on the same page about that.”</p><p>Ryuji writes the numbers in a legible scrawl, though the edges of his writing are sharp and his strokes are fat. “There!” he says, proudly. Then he switches his gaze to Ren’s face and smiles. “Text me whenever, yeah? I’ll send you the stuff about the competition.”</p><p>“Definitely,” Ren assures, and then Ryuji is back off down the beach with a wave, and a perfect toss of the marker back at Makoto. Ren looks up and sees the lifeguard snap her gaze away from him like she wasn’t looking in the first place.</p><p>“Um, thank you.” He tells her.</p><p>She adjusts the visor on her hat and sits a little higher in her chair. “Don’t mention it.”</p><p>Futaba nearly screams when she sees the number across his forearm. The few people sitting around them turn and look, and a few glare, but Futaba just fusses over Ren, makes him sit under their umbrella with her.</p><p>“Is that surfer boy’s number?” she asks excitedly.</p><p>Ren rubs at his wrist, right where the numbers stop. “Yeah, he, uh, he invited me to come see him surf at a competition this week.”</p><p>Futaba gasps, and then she pauses, and then she gasps <em>louder.</em> “You have to text him! Right now!”</p><p>Ren sighs. “It’s not like he’s going to see it. He went right back out in the water when I left. I can wait until we’re headed home.”</p><p>“Boo!” Futaba says. She grabs at the arm with Ryuji’s number on it but doesn’t actually touch the ink. Ren wonders if there’s any way to keep the numbers from smearing for as long as possible. He thinks about Ryuji’s hands on his shoulder and his waist when he’d pulled him out of the water, Ren’s hands on his arm when he’d helping him off of the sand yesterday. He can feel his skin going hot again.</p><p>“I’m going to put his number in my contacts, I’m just not going to <em>text</em> him yet.”</p><p>“Coward,” Futaba says around a pout. “How hard is it to just <em>text</em> somebody?”</p><p>Ren reaches over and ruffles her hair again. “Go back to your game.”</p><p>Ren plugs the numbers into his phone and sighs a little too dreamily for his dignity, traces over the sharpie marks with his thumb. Every time his brain lingers too long on Ryuji’s smile, or the bright brown of his eyes, or his short nails, his rough hands, he can feel himself rubbing at the ink on his wrist. He probably has the number memorized by now, could probably reproduce the writing exactly without looking.</p><p>Futaba holds him up to his pastry promise, though she thankful picks a smaller cake that doesn’t dent Ren’s wallet as bad as he feared it might. They eat lunch in the sun and then pack up for the day when Futaba starts complaining about heat stroke. Ren’s still riding on a little high when they reach Leblanc again, even when he spots a familiar head of blue hair at the booth near the door.</p><p>“Inari!” Futaba yells, and she’s throwing her arms around Yusuke’s shoulder from behind.</p><p>“There you are,” Yusuke says, and he reaches up to try and peel Futaba’s arms off of him. Ren thinks it looks like she’s choking him. The statement is directed in Ren’s direction, with a pleasant upturn of Yusuke’s mouth. “I was waiting for you to get back.”</p><p>“Kid’s been here all day,” Sojiro says from behind the counter. “I told him you were out.”</p><p>“I do enjoy your coffee, though, boss. Even if I came to see Ren, I was glad to enjoy Leblanc’s congenial atmosphere.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” Sojiro says, with a wave of his hand. “Flattery will get you nowhere, kid.”</p><p>Ren slides into the booth across from Yusuke. “You’ve been here all day?”</p><p>“Oh, only since around ten this morning. It’s only been a few hours.”</p><p>“Did you bring my manga back?” Futaba asks, leaning over the back of the chair into Yusuke’s personal space. “I wanna read it again before the next volume comes out.”</p><p>“Ah.” Yusuke lifts the coffee Ren probably thinks he’s been nursing for way too long. “My apologies. I was still doing studies of the art style. I’ll bring it to you soon enough.”</p><p>“Ugh,” Futaba says, and pokes him in the cheek. “This is why I don’t lend you stuff.”</p><p>“You kids hungry?” Sojiro asks.</p><p>“Nah!” Futaba calls, before skipping over to the counter and digs around in her bag. “Ta-da!” She presents Sojiro with the slightly flattened cake they got earlier. “Ren bought it for me! I wanted to share with you!”</p><p>Ren doesn’t even have to look at Sojiro to know he’s hiding a pleased smile behind his hand. He coughs like he’s clearing his throat. “I’ll grab some plates.”</p><p>“Do you want some, Inari?” Futaba asks.</p><p>Yusuke nods. “Please.”</p><p>“So,” Ren says, leaning forward against the table. “You came to see me?”</p><p>Yusuke frowns. “Yes. I’ve been struggling with my art recently. Usually sketching your visage helps me relieve some of my technical anxieties.”</p><p>“Is that what you two are always doing up in Ren’s room?” Sojiro asks, setting two plates of cake down on the table in front of them.</p><p>Yusuke nods politely. “I draw Ren while he goes about his day. It’s good to do life studies, you know.”</p><p>Sojiro lifts an eyebrow and turns to Ren. “You two are an odd pair.”</p><p>Ren doesn’t mention that he’s really stuck with Yusuke because they’re each other’s only friends in all their classes. Well, that and there’s a strange tranquility in Yusuke’s presence. Usually.</p><p>Ren watches Sojiro move so he can go sit with Futaba. “Sorry, I could have been here if you’d let me know you were coming.”</p><p>Yusuke waves the matter away with a hand. “It’s no problem. I live for spontaneity, you know. It’s what was supposed to happen that did, when I arrived at Leblanc.”</p><p>Ren smiles and takes a bite out of his slice of cake. “You just hate texting.”</p><p>Yusuke hums. “That as well.” He takes another sip of his coffee. “So, where were you, if I may ask?”</p><p>“Stalking a boy on the beach!” Futaba says, which earns Ren a raised eyebrow from Yusuke.</p><p>“I do hope Futaba is being hyperbolic.”</p><p>“She is,” Ren sighs, and stretches his arms over his head. “We went to the beach. I, ah, well, I was hoping to run into someone I met the day before.”</p><p>Yusuke points at the number on the arm above Ren’s head. “Is that what you were aiming for?”</p><p>“Uh, Yeah,” Ren says, and pulls the arm back down to thumb over the first number again. It’s a little faded from the sun and Ren’s rubbing at it, but he can still see the numbers, clear as day. “Apparently he goes to our university.”</p><p>“Oh? Would I know him?”</p><p>Ren looks off to the side, thinking. “Maybe? Have you met Ryuji Sakamoto?”</p><p>Yusuke’s face drops into one of concentration. “That name sounds intimately familiar, though I’m not sure why.” He pulls his phone out and does what Ren assumes is thumbing through his contacts, until Yusuke goes <em>aha! </em>And slides his phone towards Ren, open to an article. <em>Top Six Rising Stars in Japan’s Surfing World, </em>the article reads, and the headline is a photo of Ryuji holding the board Ren had seen him with earlier in the day, a peace sign thrown up and his signature grin stretched across his face.</p><p>“A rising pro surfer?” Ren blinks a few times, seeing if maybe the words will float away. He didn’t realize Ryuji was into it like <em>that</em>.</p><p>“That’s where I’ve recognized him from. I’ve seen him perform. He’s rather graceful, even in such a brief event such as surfing.”</p><p>Ren slides his phone back, something new settling into his chest when he thinks about Ryuji telling him to write his <em>number</em> on his <em>board</em> as a borderline pro surfer. That’s… Ren thinks that should probably mean something, right? “Why were you watching surfing competitions?”</p><p>“You forget my boyfriend is a lifeguard.”</p><p>“Ah, right,” Ren says, but he <em>usually</em> forgets that Goro can do anything other than scowl at Ren and hang off of Yusuke’s shoulders. And then he’s startling, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “How am I supposed to text him <em>now</em>? He’s a pro-surfer, oh god, what if he doesn’t want anything to do with me?”</p><p>Yusuke looks confused again. “Did he give you his number?”’</p><p>“Well, yeah,” Ren says, staring at Ryuji’s contact and having the article stare back. Maybe Ren should change his contact name to <em>Top Six Rising Stars</em>.</p><p>“Did he offer it, or did you ask?”</p><p>“He… offered it… But that doesn’t mean anything! He just invited me to see him compete. That’s—he probably does that with everybody, right? Like… gathering a crowd or something.”</p><p>Yusuke sighs, and extends his hand over the table with an open palm. “Here, if you’re so nervous, I can draft a message for you.”</p><p>Ren highly doubts whatever Yusuke could come up with to send Ryuji will be normal enough for him to actually consider sending, but it’s better than nothing. Without it, Ren will probably just stare longingly at their blank message screen and wonder. He anxiously watches as Yusuke types a message out, before he stops, and simply says. “Oh.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Hmm…” Yusuke hums. “Well, I was trying to start a new paragraph, but I’m afraid that button didn’t do as I postulated.”</p><p>Ren is in shock as Yusuke slides the phone back over the table, and the dark of whatever Yusuke had typed out stares back at him, too high up on the screen. The message has been sent.</p><p>“Oh my god,” Ren groans.</p><p><em>Dearest Ryuji</em>, the message reads, <em>Our meeting this day must have been fate. I tote around your invitation on my skin, awaiting the next moment our two paths will cross. I eagerly anticipate your response.</em></p><p>“Is that how you text <em>your </em>boyfriend?” Ren wails.</p><p>Yusuke tilts his head to the side. “Yes?”</p><p>And of <em>course </em>it is. Ren is typing before he can process it, hitting send before he can think about it again.</p><p>
  <em>Ren &gt; Oh god, I’m so sorry, my friend sent that message from my phone. This is Ren, by the way. Probably should have started with that.</em>
</p><p>Ren groans and buries his face in his arms. “I’m ruined,” he whines. And just for posterity, he checks his messages again. No response, but no sign the message has been read either. He probably won’t get a response ever, after that. He’ll have to avoid Ryuji at school and he’ll never be able to go to the beach again, and in three or four years Ryuji will go to the Olympics or something and they’ll interview him and he’ll say <em>Well, my early days were strange, with the strange fans who got my personal numbers only to call me dearest. I don’t know what I was thinking, giving my number out.</em></p><p>Ren groans again.</p><p>There’s a comforting hand on his shoulder, and Ren glances up at Yusuke, who seems apologetic. “My sincerest apologies, Ren. I wouldn’t have sent the message without your permission.” He leans back in his chair. “Why don’t I treat you to dinner in retribution?”</p><p>Ren sighs, and is about to take him up on it, before he thinks about how little money Yusuke usually has on him, and he’s sighing again, louder. “it’s fine. We can go grab dinner, I’ll pay.” He actually thinks this might distract him enough to make him feel better. Yusuke is pretty good company.</p><p>Yusuke smiles. “I am in your debt, as always.”</p><p>“We getting dinner?” Futaba yells, and she materializes at Ren’s side. “I want sushi!”</p><p>“I could most certainly go for sushi,” Yusuke says pleasantly.</p><p>“Didn’t your dad just ask if you were hungry? And Conveyor belt only,” Ren says, and Futaba whines. “I’m not made of money, ‘taba.”</p><p>“Sojirooo,” Futaba calls, whipping around on her heel. “Can you take us to get sushi?”</p><p>Sojiro scowls. “No way am I paying for <em>three</em> free loading adults. We have food here.”</p><p>Futaba wrinkles her nose. “Fine!” she says, with a pout thrown in Ren’s direction. “Conveyor belt sushi.”</p><p>Yusuke takes them to an inexpensive hole in the wall place that actually doesn’t manage to strip Ren dry of the money he’s made with Sojiro lately, though now he’s thinking about getting a part time job if he’s going to be with Futaba and Yusuke all summer.</p><p>Speaking of which, both of his primary uses of income are arguing over the Shogi match being aired on the small TV inside of the restaurant, and they actually get loud enough that the woman that owns the place switches the channel before the match has even ended. Ren snickers when they both gasp, but they do have enough common sense to calm down a bit.</p><p>Of course, the owner does move it to a channel broadcasting some program on surfing, and Ren watches idly until Ryuji’s face is lighting up the screen, his hair weighed down with water and <em>black</em> of all things. He looks younger than he is now, probably in early high school, but he still has that same twinkle in his eye. He’s breathing hard, tugging at the collar of his wetsuit and his gaze jumping around like he has too much energy to keep even his eyes still. Ren thinks he’s prettier now, all that tanned skin on display, and he doesn’t even realize he’s staring until Yusuke is tapping him on the shoulder, asking him if he wants a refill on his drink.</p><p>Ren says yes, but he didn’t really hear the question, watches the footage of Ryuji do an insane looking spin off of a wave. Hurriedly, he whips out his phone, and checks the messages he and Yusuke sent. Still no response. He tucks his phone back away with a sigh.</p><p>“You know,” Yusuke says, and he’s handing Ren his new drink. “Goro has told me surfers are some of the last people to leave when the beaches are closing. Perhaps he hasn’t responded because he’s still in the water.”</p><p>Ren gives him his best reassuring smile. “Right. I’m worrying too much, I know. He’s just a boy.”</p><p>He and Futaba walk Yusuke to the station, and Ren makes sure he didn’t forget his fare for the train this time, before he’s off with a smile. Futaba fills the night air with chatter as they walk, explaining the similarities between Shogi pieces and the game she finished the other day until they reach Leblanc.</p><p> “Good night!” she chirps, with a light peck to Ren’s cheek, and then she’s off down the alleyway, back towards Sojiro’s house.</p><p>Sojiro tells him he’s going to lock up soon when Ren pushes past the door, and Ren nods, heading upstairs for some much-needed rest. He’s done more in the last two days than he has since school ended, and he thinks if he has to stand any longer, his legs will give out on him in sheer defiance.</p><p>Leblanc is quiet as Ren sits on the edge of his bed, and a horrible, constricting kind of heat is winding through his throat, making it hard to breathe. He <em>fucked up.</em> He fucked up with a beautiful surfer boy and now he’s going to spend the rest of his life alone and sad, and he’s going to have to third wheel Yusuke and Goro after they get married or whatever, and he’ll call Futaba and complain about it and that’ll be his <em>life</em>. He flops face down on the mattress, muttering about how he’s a loser idiot, and when his phone buzzes, he assumes it’s Futaba, calling him to tell him to stop beating up on himself.</p><p>“I thought I told you to take the bugs out!” Ren shouts into the empty room, and when he sits up to grab his phone and respond to whatever Futaba is saying, he freezes.</p><p>The preview of the new message says it’s from Ryuji. It’s from <em>Ryuji.</em></p><p>Ren unlocks his phone and taps on the notification, and almost cries when Ryuji’s messages pop up.</p><p><em>Ryuji </em>&gt;<em> Dude, your friend seems… interesting?</em></p><p>
  <em>Ryuji &gt; Hi, though!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ryuji &gt; Would have texted you sooner but I just got home</em>
</p><p>Ren types out a message, undoes it, realizes Ryuji can see he’s typing, and hits send</p><p>
  <em>Ren: No problem</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ren: Totally didn’t think you were ignoring me because my first message scared you off, absolutely not</em>
</p><p>He regrets it as soon as it’s delivered, and there’s a little pause before Ryuji is typing again. His typing mannerisms are strangely formal, considering the way he talks, but Ren realizes they’re texting as strangers, that it’s probably normal for him to have to communicate with some formality, being a <em>pro athlete </em>and all<em>. </em>Stop it, Ren.</p><p>
  <em>Ryuji &gt; If you still want to come to the competition it’s this Friday, by the way. I can send you stuff about like, where to go and everything, but it’s pretty straightforward</em>
</p><p>Ren saves the information in a screenshot, and then he’s starling when <em>another </em>message comes in.</p><p>
  <em>Ryuji &gt; Sooo, what are you up to rn?</em>
</p><p>Ren thinks he might actually faint. A <em>what are you doing</em> text is more than an ‘I invite everyone to my competitions type of correspondence. Ryuji wants to keep talking? To Ren?</p><p>Ren takes a deep breath and sends something about just getting back from catching dinner with a few friends.</p><p>Before he really knows it, he’s texting Ryuji the way he texts with Futaba, easy and natural, about nothing in particular, but every time a new message comes in, his heart beats a little harder.</p><p>“Hey kid!” Sojiro shouts from the main café. “Come lock the door! And flip the sign.”</p><p>He brings his phone with him downstairs, laughing at Ryuji’s panicked message as he realizes that his dinner is burning.</p><p>Sojiro raises an eyebrow. “I never did hear how things went with that beach boy.”</p><p>Ren lifts his phone up with a smile. “Good. I’m actually texting him right now.”</p><p>Sojiro’s smile is warming in a paternal way, and he slides his hat on. “Good job, kid. Don’t break too many hearts now, y’hear?”</p><p>Ren rolls his eyes and follows Sojiro out of the door. “Yes, Sojiro.”</p><p>He laughs. “Good night, kid.”</p><p>“Good night.”</p><p>The door locks, and Ren heads back upstairs, breaking from watching for Ryuji’s next message to follow his feet on the stairs so he doesn’t trip and break his nose. He nearly does anyway when he reads the latest message from Ryuji.</p><p>
  <em>Ryuji &gt; Oh! Since we’re talking about dinner, wanna go get something to eat after the competition? I’m usually starving</em>
</p><p>Ren’s brain jumps in about eight different directions. And, okay, he’s not <em>stupid</em>. Ren has dated people before, though it was never quite as all consuming as this weird little crush on Ryuji is becoming. His brain cycles through several questions Ren doesn’t even know how to begin to classify, and then he thinks he’s waiting too long, and Ryuji probably thinks he’s weirded out, so he opts for a very normal, <em>Yeah, that sounds fun!</em></p><p>Ryuji texts him until Ren’s vision is starting to go cloudy, and by the time he finally gets hit with a goodnight text, Ren feels so high strung with emotion that he has to bury his face in his pillow and scream. He’s exhausted, and also thinks there might be a high chance he won’t be able to sleep, wound tight like a wire. His theory that Ryuji just asked him to the competition because he asks everyone has been blown out of the water now, because even if he <em>does</em> do that, he can’t invite everyone to dinner afterwards too, right? This has to be something a little special.</p><p>A second, more pressing question comes up almost immediately after that, which is, what the fuck does someone wear to a surfing competition? (“A swimsuit, Ren,” Futaba says the next day, when she shows up for breakfast and it’s the first thing he says to her. “It’s still a beach. I guess you could go in a four piece suit like a jackass if you think he’d be into that.”)</p><p>He even texts Yusuke about it, and he says almost the exact same thing (“Would a swimsuit not be appropriate?”) before inviting himself along, citing an excuse to surprise Goro. Ren sends him a photo of him fake gagging, and Yusuke sends a dry <em>haha, very funny.</em></p><p>By the time Friday rolls around, Ren is an anxious mess, and the fringe of his bangs is almost in knots from how often he’s been pulling on it lately. He’d made Futaba go with him to buy a new swimsuit on Thursday because she hadn’t left her room since they got dinner with Yusuke, and <em>not</em> because he needed someone to give it to him straight about what he looks like. She has also apparently invited herself along, showing up at Leblanc Friday morning in a swimsuit and shades, ready for yet <em>another</em> day on the beach. Yusuke is verging on being late, and Ren starts pacing, counting his steps and skimming fingers over the booth seats.</p><p>“What if he’s not gay?” Ren asks, and Futaba scoffs. “Or worse, what if he <em>is</em> and he just isn’t into me?”</p><p>“You realize you’ve kind of got an ‘everybody’s type’ vibe going on with you, right? I do not think there’s a single person who wouldn’t be attracted to you if they had the capacity for it.”</p><p>“Yusuke,” he says, and it’s not a question.</p><p>Futaba shrugs. “Yusuke is a special case. I think he’s quite literally only attracted to Goro, which, hey, good on them.” Ren groans and tugs at the edge of his shirt. A fitted black tank top to go with the blue shorts Futaba picked out. She says he looks good. He’s not so sure.</p><p>The bell over the door jingles, and in walks Yusuke like he’s been summoned by their conversation, outfitted in a gray jacket open over his pale chest, and Ren groans because Yusuke is <em>prettier</em> than he is. Blue is Yusuke’s color.</p><p>“I’m going to go change,” Ren says, and Futaba groans.</p><p>“Why?” Yusuke asks. “I think you look very handsome.” Ren is about to thank him, when Yusuke opens his mouth again. “Like a blue crab.”</p><p>He still doesn’t change.</p><p>They’ve barely made it to the beach before Yusuke is peeling off in search of Goro, and Ren really should have expected this, he reasons. He takes off in long strides down the beach, until the blue of his hair gets mixed in with blacks and browns and yellows.</p><p>Ren glances down at Futaba at his side and starts walking again, heading towards the part of the beach Ryuji told him was being used mainly for the competition.</p><p>“Why did you want to come along again?” he asks her.</p><p>Futaba rolls her eyes like the answer is obvious. “Duh! I want to see how it works. I never miss a chance to gather data!”</p><p>“Right,” ren says, disbelieving. “Do you even know anything about surfing in the first place?”</p><p>“Of course I do,” Futaba protests, and steps in front of Ren to walk backwards through the crowd, a finger up like she’s instructing a class. “I read up on it last night in case I had to make idle conversation with your little boyfriend! The surfers are scored by wave, y’know! I thought it was just, like, how many tricks they did and how fast or something, but they actually only take two of the waves the competitors catch for their final score in their heat, <em>and</em>—” Ren watches almost in slow motion as Futaba collides with someone so hard she starts tipping sideways.</p><p>“Oh!” the girl she’s walked into shouts, before she’s supporting Futaba by her waist. They’re similar in height, though Futaba is obviously shorter, especially when she’s shrinking in on herself from the embarrassment of her fall. “I’ve got you!”</p><p>“Ah!” Futaba squeaks, holding her hands in at her chest. “S-sorry!”</p><p>“No worries!” The girl says, and her voice is high and feminine. She sets Futaba back down on her feet with a kind smile, long red ponytail slithering off of her shoulder with her movements. “You really should be watching where you’re going, you know.” There’s nothing particularly admonishing in her tone, but Futaba’s face goes even redder than it did before, her hands clasping together in front of her like she’s being scolded.</p><p>“Right! Sorry, I didn’t hurt you, did I?”</p><p>“Not at all,” the girl says, and she reaches out to adjust Futaba’s glasses on her nose. “I like to think I’m pretty strong.”</p><p>Ren thinks he can actually see the fuse blow in Futaba’s brain. “S-s-strong, yeah, I—” She clears her throat, and then opens and closes her mouth like a fish.</p><p>“Ren?” Someone shouts from within the crowd of people moving around them. “Ren!” It’s accompanied by a wave this time, and Ren’s face breaks out into a grin when he spots that familiar blond head of hair, Ryuji’s smile blinding as usual. He rushes up to them, a board tucked under his arm that half knocks a woman off balance when she bumps into it.</p><p>“S-sorry! Hey!” Ryuji says, and Ren realizes he’s never seen Ryuji dry before, but he is now, still outfitted in a swimsuit. “Dude, I’m so glad you’re here!”</p><p>The girl who was speaking to Futaba looks up when Ryuji speaks, her eyes going wide. “Oh, Ryuji-senpai! You know these people?”</p><p>“Huh? Oh, Yoshizawa!” Ryuji says, turning around. He blinks at Futaba in confusion. “Y-yeah! Well, sort of. I know this guy. You’re… Ren’s sister, right?”</p><p>Ryuji gets a salute. “Kinda! Futaba Sakura, at your service! Er… not really.”</p><p>The other girl laughs, covering her mouth as she does so, and Futaba turns to her with a huge grin on her face. “Are you a fan of surfing, Futaba-san?”</p><p>“Huh?” Futaba says, and then she pumps her fist. “Yeah! Heats last about twenty or thirty minutes in a specified zone, and, um, judges have a lot of factors to score based on, <em>and</em>, a lot of the competition is rooted in competitiveness and problem solving along with technical skill!”</p><p>The girl laughs again, and Futaba blushes, and if Ren had just the slightest bit less pressing matters—read, Ryuji’s <em>way</em> too tight rash guard he cannot stop staring at—he’d be teasing the <em>hell</em> out of her.</p><p>Futaba startles a little when the girl puts a hand on her shoulder. “If you’re not busy, Futaba-san, would you want to keep me company while I wax my board?”</p><p>“Yes!” Futaba says, and she doesn’t even look over her shoulder as she’s off, trailing the girl like a puppy, rattling more facts off about the sport this girl already knows about.</p><p>“I have never seen someone get along with Futaba that fast,” Ren says in disbelief.</p><p>Ryuji sighs, and rests a hand on Ren’s shoulder. “Yeah, Yoshizawa is like that. But, hey!” he says, and he’s turning to face Ren fully. “I’m glad you came! Sorry, I don’t even know if this is your kinda thing.”</p><p>Ren smiles easily. “It’s fine. I’ve actually never been to a competition like this.”</p><p>“Really?” Ryuji asks, and he’s walking again, through the crowds of people on the beach until they’re starting to thin out into scattered clusters. “I would’a thought you were the sports type. I mean, you damn look the part,” he says, and his gaze darts over Ren’s form fast.</p><p>Ren laughs, tries to ignore the way his skin goes hot. “I’m actually kind of a shut in. Right now, at least. It was Futaba that dragged me out here that first day we ran into each other.”</p><p>Ren follows him past a line of people set up with cameras close enough to the water to make Ren nervous, and Ryuji quickly swerves out of the way of two <em>massive</em> guys who rush past them, chattering excitedly. “Really? Aw, man. I hope you don’t, like, hate this.”</p><p>Ren claps him on the shoulder. “No way. I’m super excited to see what this is all about.”</p><p>There’s an arm snaking around Ren’s shoulder, Ryuji’s skin smooth and warm from the sun, and Ren ignites under his smile. “You’re mega cool, man.”</p><p>The compliment probably shouldn’t make the already light, fuzzy feelings in Ren’s heart <em>worse</em>, but he grins lopsidedly when Ryuji’s laugh, and decides not to comment on the still there weight of his arm on Ren’s shoulder.</p><p>They end up at a half-covered canopy tent further down the beach, sitting in the sand while a handful of people move in and out almost randomly.</p><p> “I usually chill here between heats,” Ryuji explains, and he stoops down to pull his phone out of a bag half buried in sand. “I-“ he stops then, eyes going wide when he checks his screen. “Oh, shit! I spent longer looking for you than I thought. I’ve got to go pedal out! Uh,” he hops on his feet, and Ren thinks it’s cute, apparently thinks everything Ryuji does is cute. “You can stay here if you want? Er, I guess if you want to see me specifically you’ll have to move…”</p><p>Ren puts his hands up in a way he hopes is calming. “Go, I’ll figure it out.”</p><p>“Okay!” Ryuji chirps, and he glances over his shoulder at the water, and then back at Ren. “You can leave your stuff here, if you want! Nobody really… Uh… Well, I’m glad you came!” he announces, and before Ren has really processed what he’s said, Ryuji is off on a jog, rushing towards a few other people standing at the edge of the water with their own boards.</p><p>Ren covers his smile with his hands and stands there until his face hurts, before he ducks out of the tent towards the water, and takes a seat in the sand, just as Ryuji and the group he was standing with shout as they all run off into the water.</p><p>“Hey.”</p><p>Ren looks up and sees a figure blotting out the sun. It’s hard to see her face, but Ren would recognize the blonde twintails from almost anywhere.</p><p>“Hi,” he says back, just because he doesn’t want to be rude.</p><p>“You know Ryuji, right?” she asks, and sits down next to him. It’s easier to look at her now, the blue of her eyes hidden behind huge light brown shades. She curls in on herself a little bit, wrapping her arms underneath her knees. “I saw him talking to you earlier.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah,” Ren says, and tries to keep from fidgeting, picks at some sand anyway. “He asked me to come.”</p><p>The girl nods. “I can tell. Normally he spends his time before heats sitting alone with his headphones in. He gets pissy when I try to talk to him.” She sighs, turns her head to look at him. “I’m Ann, by the way.”</p><p>“Ren,” he says with a nod.</p><p>Ann smiles. She looks back out at the water and hugs her knees a little closer to her chest. Ren follows her gaze to Ryuji, finds him talking excitedly to the guy on the board next to him who laughs when Ryuji shrugs.</p><p>“He’s pretty good at this,” Ann says.</p><p>Ren raises an eyebrow but doesn’t look away from where Ryuji is shouting now, waving over at someone else on a board. “I feel like you can tell just by looking at him.”</p><p>Ann laughs. “Now, yeah. When he was a little delinquent shithead in high school, though, it was hard to tell he spent more time in the water than he did on schoolwork.” She blinks. “Okay, maybe that’s not true.”</p><p>Ren smiles. Out ahead, Ryuji is perking up, swimming further away from the other people. “You’ve known him that long?”</p><p>Ann roles her eyes and looks back at Ren again. “I’ve been stuck with that jackass since middle school.” She smiles though and laughs high in her throat. “He’s my best friend.”</p><p>Ren smiles back at her, feels strangely comfortable in her presence. And relived. “You seem like a pretty great best friend.”</p><p>“You bet!” she says, and her eyes are catching over Ren’s shoulder. Ren turns his to see a girl with choppy bangs waving back, her eyes crinkled with a smile. “Shiho!” Ann calls. “Don’t eat shit this time, okay?”</p><p>The girl’s face drops into a frown. “Quit yelling my name from the shore and I might!”</p><p>“As many times as you’ve asked me that, I never do!”</p><p>Shiho rolls her eyes, and then she’s off again in the direction she was walking. Ren looks back at Ann to see the end of her blowing a kiss. “My girlfriend,” she says, by way of explanation. “She’d kick Ryuji’s ass if they were in the same heat.”</p><p>Ren chuckles. “I’ll have to take your word for that.”</p><p>Ann puts her hands in the sand, and pinches at the skin on her ankle. “Um,” she says, quietly. “You seem really nice.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Ren says, though he’s a little caught off guard by the praise. “You’re really easy to talk to.”</p><p>“Me?” Ann says, her eyes going wide. “A lot of people say I’m too intimidating. I just… I thought I’d come talk to you. Ryuji, ah, he doesn’t just invite anyone to these. Not to watch him, at least.”</p><p>Ren feels his face starting to heat up again. When he glances back out at the water, Ryuji is on a wave, plowing through a turn with more grace than Ren would have thought possible. Ren watches the spray of water when he leaps off of the crest of the wave, and Ryuji is back on the surface, landing with a half cocky thumb up. “I’m glad,” he says finally, and Ann doesn’t comment, just sits and watches him in silence.</p><p>The tournament wears on as the day does. Ryuji comes off the water flushed and wet, and Ren congratulates him, though he admits he doesn’t know much about the sport. Ryuji is bashful, leads him back to the tent to wait on results and the next heat. At some point, Ren sees red on the water and hears Futaba cheering. He guesses she and Yoshizawa got along well, considering she hasn’t even come to check in on him.</p><p>Ryuji makes two more heats, and then he’s clicking his tongue at Ren’s side.</p><p>“What’s up?” Ren asks, and leans over Ryuji’s shoulder.</p><p>“Text from Ann.” Ryuji says, and then he’s sighing. “Mishima beat me out of finals.”</p><p>“Damn,” Ren says, and he doesn’t have time to even start to say sorry before Ryuji’s whole body is tipping over and he’s laying his head in Ren’s lap.</p><p>“<em>Man</em>!” Ryuji yells. “I thought that last wave was so good! Ugh!”</p><p>Ren moves some of his drying hair out of his face, relishes in the feeling of Ryuji’s skin on his. “I thought you were cool.”</p><p>“Really?” Ryuji asks, and his eye blink open. They’re so <em>brown</em>, light even in the shadow of his tent, and Ren thinks it’d be so easy to kiss him, gets the idea too fast to actually consider whether it’s a good idea or not.</p><p>Thankfully, he doesn’t have time to follow up on it, before Ryuji is sitting back up, and the moment has passed. He hops to his feet. “You still up for dinner?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Ren says, and reaches out to grab his phone and text Futaba, when she materializes in front of the tent.</p><p>“Found you!” she shouts, and somewhere in the day she’s gotten wet, a tan starting to crop up along her skin from the sun. “Sumi’s headed to finals, so I figured I’d stop in.”</p><p>“Sumi?” Ren says, with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>Futaba blushes, and clasps her hands behind her back. “Y-yoshizawa, I mean.”</p><p>“Oh, hey!” Ryuji says, and Ren tries not to stare as Ryuji starts to strip out of his rash guard, arms tensing as he reaches to pull the back of the material over his head. “I was wondering where you went. I was scared Ren had to ditch you ‘cause of me.”</p><p>“Nope,” Futaba says, swaying back and forth. “I just kept on with Sum- uh. Yoshizawa. San.”</p><p>Ren can feel the shit eating grin on his face, and Futaba catches his eye and sticks out her tongue.</p><p>“If you’re up for it,” Ryuji says, stepping out of his wet suit, and oh, Ren is going to have to contend with Ryuji’s bare skin again, great. “Wanna grab dinner with us? Yoshizawa, too.”</p><p>Ren looks up at him from the ground. “Is that okay?” What he really wants to say is, <em>Wait, no, just you and me.</em></p><p>“Yeah!” Ryuji says, grinning easily. “Ann and Shiho said they wanted to tag along anyway. It’s kind of tradition.”</p><p>Ren feels disappointment curdle in his heart. So, it wasn’t a date after all? Just Ryuji inviting him to dinner with his friends? He forces a smile and stands. “Sounds good.”</p><p>“In that case,” Futaba says, and she bounces up on her tip toes. “Do you want to come watch Yoshizawa at finals? She said she was going to perform <em>extra</em> hard for me!”</p><p>“Hell yeah!” Ryuji says, and he’s stepping out of the tent, Ren at his heels.</p><p>Eventually Futaba falls behind a bit, so she can walk at Ren’s side. “So,” he says, low enough that Ryuji can’t hear. “Get her number?”</p><p> “Shut up.”</p><p>“Gonna text her?”</p><p>There’s a grumbling noise.</p><p><em>“How hard is it to just text somebody?” </em>He mocks, in an imitation of Futaba’s voice.</p><p>“Shut up.”</p><p>Ren snickers and they stop to watch Yoshizawa surf, her form moving in and out of difficult maneuvers with ease. Ren still thinks Ryuji is impressive, but he surfs like it’s a fight he has to win, and Yoshizawa surfs like it’s a dance, something she takes joy in the beauty of. Her form is tiny but she’s fast, and by the time she’s pedaling back to shore, all three of them are cheering so loud people are staring.</p><p>“Sumi!” Futaba yells, and she’s nearly tackling Yoshizawa with a hug. “That was amazing!”</p><p>Yoshizawa laughs and squeezes Futaba back, walking towards them with a grin and Futaba going on about technical aspects of the sport Ren has never heard of. “Ryuji-senpai!” Yoshizawa shouts, and then her eyes catch on Ren. “Oh, and Amamiya-senpai!”</p><p>Ren waves, watches Ryuji bound up to her. “That was so awesome, Yoshizawa! I knew you were good, but <em>damn!</em>”</p><p>Yoshizawa laughs, and Ren sees her eyes move to Futaba for a moment too long. “I think I had a bit of extra encouragement to help me along today.”</p><p>Ren smiles at her, feels weirdly proud, and there’s a bit of commotion behind him. He turns just in time to see Yusuke and Goro push past a group of people, before Yusuke locks eyes with Ren and goes, “Ah!”</p><p>“Ren!” Yusuke shouts, and Goro is glaring at Ren, as usual, though he’s keeping up with Yusuke’s half jog. “Ren,” Yusuke says, and he comes to a stop just in front of Ren, drops his hands on Ren’s shoulder. “Won’t you lend me some of your money?”</p><p>Ren sputters. “Why?”</p><p>Goro rolls his eyes, but he’s looking fondly at Yusuke from behind his bangs. “I said we should go get food, and apparently Yusuke forgot to bring more than enough to cover the train fare. I <em>also</em> said I would pay <em>for</em> him—”</p><p>“You never let me pay you back,” Yusuke says, and he turns back to Ren. “Please.”</p><p>“Goro?” Ryuji says, and Goro is seemingly looking up for the first time, his attention off of Yusuke.</p><p>“Oh, Sakamoto-san.”</p><p>“You know each other?” Futaba asks, and Goro is nodding.</p><p>“Makoto and I switch off on who has to go drag Ryuji out of the water when he struggles. We’ve gotten rather familiar with him in the meantime, I suppose.”</p><p>Ryuji kicks at some of the sand. “It doesn’t happen that often.”</p><p>“It certainly happens enough.”</p><p>Ren reaches up and puts his hands over Yusuke’s on his shoulder. He gets a glare from Goro for his trouble. “Yes, I can lend you money. But you owe me next time we go out.” He knows he won’t hold Yusuke to that promise.</p><p>“Deal.”</p><p>“Hey,” Ryuji says, when Yusuke steps back, moving forward to put a hand on Ren’s shoulder. “If you guys are going to dinner, why not come with us? I mean, the more the merrier right?” He looks to Ren like he’s questioning if it’s okay, and Ren thinks he’s too soft, because all he can do is smile.</p><p>“That sounds enjoyable,” Yusuke says, and he looks over his shoulder at Goro. “Is that okay?”</p><p>“If you’re open to it,” Goro says, but he reaches out to take Yusuke’s hand. “However, Makoto <em>is</em> my ride home. It’s her girlfriend’s car.”</p><p>“They can come too!” Ryuji says, with a clueless smile.</p><p>Ren glances at the sky. His date is ruined.</p><p>They meet up with Ann and Shiho, who was also apparently in finals alongside Yoshizawa, and Ren really hopes there’s not going to be any hard feelings about <em>that</em> when the results come out. Makoto was apparently overseeing the tournament already as emergency staff, and she tells them her girlfriend will be meeting them at the restaurant.</p><p>“Her family owns one of the establishments on shore. We’ll be taken care of,” she explains, and Ren is relived, because the group only seems to be multiplying, and he was concerned how they were going to find a place on a Friday night open to seating a handful of rowdy couples.</p><p>The restaurant is nice, Ren knows, and the girl that rushes out to greet Makoto with a hug is pretty, with her pink hair and a baby blue sundress. She greets them like they’re all old friends, even though she only seems to know Makoto and Goro. They sit outside, push a few tables together, and chatter loudly enough that Ren would be worried if anyone else was making use of the outdoor dining.</p><p>Ren sits between Ryuji and Yusuke and has to listen to Yusuke and Futaba argue over surfing rules, because they can’t be in each other’s presence without contradicting the other. Though now they have Yoshizawa and Goro to mediate, even if they both seem to be edging their respective partners on. Haru mentions that they don’t have to worry about paying for dinner, that she’s willing to do them all a favor, and Ren thinks Yusuke might actually shed a few tears.</p><p>At his other side, Ann and Ryuji are bickering over nothing, and Ren feels like he’s sat across from a pair of siblings. He doesn’t know how he <em>ever</em> mistook them for a couple, when Ryuji says something trite and inoffensive about Ann’s apparent career as a model and gets rewarded with a smack to the backside of his head.</p><p>Ren does his best to hang back, joins in on conversation when prompted and sips on something fruity and non-alcholic. Ryuji keeps asking Ren questions about the argument he’s having with Ann, and Ren smiles and usually ends up agreeing with her, just to watch the way Ryuji puffs up his cheeks out and kicks at Ren’s foot under the table. It’s loud, and strangely familiar, and Ren think it might be the most fun he’s had in years, even when Shiho makes a deadpan comment that has Goro snorting water through his nose.</p><p>“Results from Yoshizawa and Shiho’s heat are in!” Ann announces, shortly after the sun has started going down, and everyone leans in to the table a bit. She winces, and hands her phone off to Ryuji.</p><p>“<em>Bullshit!</em>” he gasps and turns to Yoshizawa. “A perfect ten?!”</p><p>“<em>What?</em>” Both Shiho and Yoshizawa yell, and then Shiho is smiling at her, eyes wide with amazement.</p><p>“That’s amazing, Yoshizawa-san!”</p><p>Yoshizawa blushes and ducks her head down. Futaba pokes her in the shoulder. “What does that mean? Sumi, sumi! What does that mean?”</p><p>Yoshizawa is apparently too shocked to answer, so Futaba turns to Makoto. “It means she scored perfectly on one of her waves. That’s the highest score she could possible get.”</p><p>Ryuji whistles, and hands the phone back to Ann. “Damn, I thought that wave we saw you do was impressive. I didn’t know it was <em>that</em> good!”</p><p>“Congratulations,” Shiho says, and she doesn’t look too upset, Ren supposes, just a little reserved. Ann leans over and presses a kiss to the corner of her eye, and Shiho smiles, and moves her arm like she’s threading their fingers together under the table. “I’ll make sure to give you a better run for your money next time.”</p><p>“I-I look forward to it!” Yoshizawa says, and Futaba laughs, and just like that, things have returned to normal.</p><p>Conversation turns towards Ryuji, Shiho, and Yoshizawa’s experiences in surfing as they eat, and by the time it’s grown so dark that the outside lights are streaking across the sand, Ryuji stretches his arms over his head and sighs.</p><p>“Man, I gotta stretch my legs,” he says, and Ren turns away from the riveting story Haru is telling about her cat to look at him sideways. “Ren? Wanna come with me?”</p><p>Ren smiles. “Of course.”</p><p>There’s a set of stairs that lead off the patio of the restaurant towards the beach, and Ryuji takes off on a slow walk down the sand. It’s deserted in the nighttime, the only sounds the distant chatter of restaurants and the waves lapping at the shore.</p><p>“Thanks for coming today,” Ren says, and knocks his shoulder into Ren’s as they walk. They’re close enough that Ren’s fingers keep brushing his hand, but he doesn’t say anything about it, just enjoys the warmth of Ryuji’s presence at his side.</p><p>“No problem,” Ren says, and tugs at the edge of his bangs. “I haven’t been around this many people in… probably forever.”</p><p>“Me either,” Ryuji says with a laugh. “I’m uh… Well, the whole surfing thing keeps me pretty busy.”</p><p>“You’re trying to go pro, right?” Ren asks.</p><p>Ryuji sighs, and glances off towards the water. “Yeah, I mean. I love it, y’know? There’s nothing like all those days I spend out here. Gets exhausting though.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “I mean, I’m on a scholarship for a sport I love, and I’ve already decided it’s what I want to do with my life but… permanent shit is hard. I keep getting worried I’m doing the wrong thing.”</p><p>Ren stops walking, Ryuji copying him. He takes a deep breath. “I think you’re doing the right thing,” Ren says. Ryuji looks at him, surprised, and Ren goes to tug on his bangs again. “I mean, I don’t want to overstep or anything, but it seems like surfing is where you’re supposed to be. At least, from what I saw today. And even if it isn’t you love it, right? I think you’re doing pretty great.”</p><p>Ryuji’s smile works on his face slow, but it’s worth it, his eyes face hidden where he has them turned away from the moon. “Thanks.”</p><p>“Don’t mention it,” Ren says, and starts walking, Ryuji falling in step with him again.</p><p>It’s quiet a little while longer, and the silence isn’t too heavy, but Ren worries he’s crossed some line he couldn’t see. He opens his mouth to say so when Ryuji tips his head back, his eyelashes catching the moonlight. “I wanted to win for you today. Like, I found out you were actually coming, and I thought,” he smacks a fist into his palm. “<em>I’ve got to win for this dude.</em> That’s dumb, right? Even though we just met.”</p><p>“It’s not dumb,” Ren says, and his hand brushes with Ryuji’s.</p><p>Ryuji smiles with his eyes closed. “I don’t know. I think you just make me want to be better, I guess. Maybe that’s not dumb.” He pauses and looks around. “We should probably head back. I think we’ve walked pretty far.”</p><p>Ren nods, and they turn on their heel, headed back towards the louder parts of the beach. There are emotions sitting tight in his chest, like there’s a vice grip on his heart, and every time he looks at Ryuji, he feels like he’s watching a shooting star blazing across the sky, eyes dreamily fixed forward.</p><p>“You should let me teach you how to surf,” Ryuji says.</p><p>Ren starts, and Ryuji jumps, throws his hands up like he’s said something wrong. “Sorry! I should have actually considered you might know how already—”</p><p>“That sounds fun,” Ren says. “I don’t, though. Uh, know how. I never really cared to learn. But I think if it was you teaching me… I’d love that.”</p><p>Ryuji smiles, and Ren thinks if he never sees Ryuji again, he wants to remember him like <em>this</em>, too bright for his own good. When their hands brush, this time, Ren winds their fingers together, and Ryuji doesn’t even startle, just keeps his eyes fixed forward.</p><p>“Ren!” Yusuke shouts, and Ren drops Ryuji’s hand half in panic, noticing that they’ve strayed far enough to be well within the restaurant again. Yusuke is standing on top of the steps leading down onto the beach, Futaba tucked against his back. Her hair is tied up, and Ren can see the telltale red of Yoshizawa’s ribbon tucked against Futaba’s cheek.</p><p>“What’s up?” Ren asks.</p><p>Makoto steps out from behind him, letting a giggling Haru hold her by the arm. “We were waiting for you two to get back before we all left. I think it’s time I took Haru home.”</p><p>“Mako-chan,” Haru hums, and nuzzles her face into Makoto’s neck. Ren smiles when she shivers, pats a hand on Haru’s shoulder.</p><p>“I’m getting there, sweetie,” she says, and the endearment is half surprising out of Makoto’s mouth.</p><p>“Yeah,” Ren says, and takes the stairs back up into the lights, feels too embarrassed to look at Ryuji behind him.</p><p>They all say their goodbyes, and Yusuke carries Futaba to the station on her back, chattering happily about how handsome Goro is when he goes about his work. Ren nods, and agrees, though he doesn’t really stop thinking about Ryuji’s hand in his. He feels like an idiot lovestruck teenager, but he wonders if it’d be too much to ask to see him again this soon, if he’ll have to go out of his way to run into him again.</p><p>They have to switch lines eventually, and Yusuke hands Futaba off, sliding her sleep soft form onto Ren’s shoulders.</p><p>“Ren?” she says, still half asleep. “S’ okay. I can walk.”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Ren says, and carries her into the train, sets her down in an empty seat. She immediately dozes off again, her head on Ren’s shoulder. Ren ends up carrying her back to Leblanc too, pushing through the door into the café with his hip.</p><p>“Aren’t you two back a little late?” Sojiro asks, when the bell rings. Futaba hums sleepily. “And where’d that ribbon come from?”</p><p>“I’ll tell you tomorrow!” she whines, sliding off of Ren’s back unsteadily to the ground. She yawns so wide she nearly cracks her face in half, before shuffling around the counter to grab Sojiro by the wrist. “It’s time to go home now!”</p><p>“Alright, alright, yeesh. I was waiting on you to get back so I could close anyway,” Sojiro says, and lets Futaba push him towards the door.</p><p>“Oh!” Futaba yelps, right after she pushes Sojiro out of Leblanc. She turns grabs Ren by the shoulder to peck him on the cheek like usual. “Goodnight! I’ll see you tomorrow!”</p><p>“See you tomorrow, Futaba,” Ren says, and ruffles her hair for good measure.</p><p>“Lock up!” Sojiro shouts, before the door closes, and Ren is left alone in Leblanc.</p><p>Exhaustion hits like a bus, and Ren can barely drag himself outside to flip the sign before he takes the stairs. Were it not for Futaba, he might have asked Yusuke to carry <em>him</em>.</p><p>He bitches about the heat, knows that’s the only reason he can’t curl up under some nice heavy blankets, and lays face down on his bed, before he groans and rolls over to check what time he has to get up for his shift tomorrow. Ren doesn’t know if he’s surprised or not to see another message from Ryuji, even when there are still phantom fingers clutching at his hand.</p><p>
  <em>Ryuji &gt; Make sure you watch me next time too, okay?</em>
</p><p>Ren falls asleep with his phone open to his reply.</p><p>
  <em>Ren &gt; Wouldn’t miss it for the world.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yeehaw! I guess this kind of reads as an ending, but this was literally only half of the story so... expect more... uh... stuff.<br/>My <a href="https://twitter.com/tobi_yos">Twitter</a> if you want to hear me complain about editing or if you just want to say hi! Hope you have a lovely day, thanks for reading, chapter two soon^^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Second chapter!! Last chapter!!<br/>Oh my god I worked so hard to get this out by Friday like I said... I need a break for a bit.<br/>Same rules apply to this chapter! I don't surf! I got things wrong! Please be nice I'm a humble student, just trying to get by</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He works weekends because Sojiro is letting him stay in the attic for free. It’s less than he works during the school year, his evenings stripped bare and long shifts monotonous, but Ren thinks Sojiro is doing it more for appearances than actually feeling like Ren needs to earn his lodging. As lenient as he is though, he still expects Ren to work when he’s on duty.</p><p>“Hey kid,” Sojiro snaps, probably for the third or fourth time, only a few hours into their Sunday shift. “I’m not paying you to sit on your phone.”</p><p>Ren winces, but types out a quick apology to Ryuji before he shoves his phone into his pocket. He thinks he hasn’t gone more than an hour without texting Ryuji in the past two days, though if pressed he wouldn’t actually be able to say what about. It’s a lot of Ren’s shitty flirting, and Ryuji’s shitter jokes, and Ren is so into him it’s <em>painful</em>.</p><p>“Honestly,” Sojiro sighs, but his voice is half-affectionate. “You kids and your tech these days.”</p><p>Like the mere mention of anything electronic summons her, Futaba comes strolling through the door, her nose buried so deep in her phone that she bumps into the corner of a counter without looking up.</p><p>“Don’t you know how to look where you’re going?” Sojiro asks, exasperated. When his only response is Futaba’s snicker at something she’s very clearly read off of her phone, Sojiro snaps, “<em>Futaba.</em>”</p><p>“What?” Futaba says, and looks up for once. “Oh, hi, Ren.”</p><p>“Are you texting Yoshizawa?” he asks.</p><p>Futaba nods, and hops up in a chair. Ren leans his hip onto the counter and smiles when Sojiro gets to working on a drink for Futaba without being asked, grumbling as he goes. “ Sumi is getting ready for one of the national competitions later this month. She said her dad was seriously considering sending her for a training thing in Hawaii.”</p><p>“Hawaii, eh?” Sojiro says, and Futaba nods.</p><p>“Something about getting used to training with different types of waves if she’s going to compete at on a global scale.” Futaba sighs dreamily, like the idea of the girl she likes dominating national surfing competitions is akin to her brining Futaba flowers. “She spent half of her second-year training in Australia.”</p><p>Ren leans onto an elbow, tries to think about Ryuji in a different country for that long, transferring out of their university for the opportunity. It kind of makes his chest hurt. He said he was trying to pursue it as a career, but the idea of Ryuji just up and leaving like that makes him strangely proud <em>and</em> worried. His hand twitches towards his phone to ask Ryuji about it himself before he thinks about getting scolded again.</p><p>“Well, don’t you get any funny ideas,” Sojiro says, setting Futaba’s coffee down in front of her. It’s so light with cream and sugar it looks like hot cocoa. “You’re finishing college before you’re off chasing girls halfway across the world.”</p><p>“I have no intention on leaving you!” Futaba protests. “Especially when Ren takes over Leblanc and I have to manage our online presence.”</p><p>“I did not say I was taking over Leblanc,” Ren says.</p><p>Sojiro leans back on his heel and crosses his arms. “I didn’t say I was ever handing it over.”</p><p>“Suuure,” Futaba drawls, and then she’s looking back down at her phone as it buzzes. “You’ve got to retire at some point, old man.”</p><p>Sojiro huffs, but he doesn’t deny the accusation. Instead he pulls a pack of cigarette out of his pockets and makes for the door. “I’m going for a smoke. You two don’t burn down my café while I’m gone!”</p><p>Ren whips his phone out when Sojiro disappears and shoots off a quick text message to Ryuji.</p><p>
  <em>Ren &gt; Are you going to be at the beach tomorrow?</em>
</p><p>It’s barely a few moments before Ryuji answers back.</p><p>
  <em>Ryuji &gt; Dude, I’m there, like, every day</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ren &gt; Right. Do you remember offering to teach me how to surf?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ryuji &gt; Hell yeah! You want your first lesson from the surf master?</em>
</p><p>Ren rolls his eyes.</p><p>
  <em>Ren &gt; Oh shit, Yoshizawa is coming?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ryuji &gt; You’re such an asshole</em>
</p><p>Ren laughs, and turns around so he can lean his weight against the counter.</p><p>
  <em>Ren &gt; Sorry, sorry. Yes, master of the ocean and surfing grandmaster, please instruct me in your ways</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ryuji &gt; That’s more like it! I get there pretty early, so just text me whenever you want to show up. I’ll be there.</em>
</p><p>Ren thinks the little flutter his stomach does at that is embarrassing, but he smiles anyway.</p><p>
  <em>Ren &gt; Can do.</em>
</p><p>“Hey,” he says, looking up from his phone. “I’m heading back to the beach tomorrow. Wanna come with?”</p><p>“Nope,” Futaba says. “Yoshizawa says she has an off day tomorrow, and she wanted to take me to a park by her house. She’s so romantic,” she sighs.</p><p>Ren wrinkles his nose. “Gross.”</p><p>Futaba sticks her tongue out at him. “You’re so jealous.” He can barely contain the eye roll.</p><p>He rides the train to the beach by himself for the first time the next day. He had texted Yusuke to see if maybe he wanted to tag along, but he’d never responded, so Ren guessed he was probably in one of his rebelling against technology moods. Ren texts him that he’s such an old man on the ride, just because it’s true.</p><p>Ren finds Ryuji easily enough, sitting on a beach towel, waxing down a second board.</p><p>“Hey!” he says, when Ren approaches. “Ready to get started?”</p><p>“Uh,” Ren says glancing down at the board. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”</p><p>Ryuji’s smile is reassuring, though it’s less so when he rests his hands on Ren’s shoulder and suddenly his face is so <em>very</em> close. “You’ll be fine, I promise. I’m here to help!” Ren gives a wobbly smile back and tries not to pull away from their proximity because of nerves. His eyes are bright, skin flushed from the sun, and he’s sweating a little bit, Ren thinks about chasing the little bead of sweat gliding down his temple with his tongue and almost has to physically shake the though from his head.</p><p>“First things first,” Ryuji says, and he’s stepping back far enough that Ren can actually breathe. He plops down into the sand, all tanned limbs and bright shorts. “We’ve got to get you stretched out.”</p><p>Ren mirrors him on the ground, smirking. “You do hear yourself, right?”</p><p>Ryuji wrinkles his nose. “No being nasty while I’m trying to teach you.”</p><p>“It’s so much fun, though.”</p><p>“Yeah, Yeah,” Ryuji says, and walks Ren through possibly <em>the</em> most embarrassing stretches he’s ever had to do. He <em>knows</em> he looks like an idiot, body twisting strangely and pulling at muscles he’s never had to use before. Ren never was the athletic type, but these stretches pull and they <em>burn</em> and he wonders if this is his cosmic punishment for loafing around for the first part of the summer.</p><p>“Last one,” Ryuji says, and he makes Ren lay down on his back, arms straight out from his shoulders, and he holds Ren’s  by his thighs, supporting Ren as he moves them side to side slowly. Mostly, he feels the stretch pulling at his shoulders and a little in his back, but there’s also the issue of Ryuji’s hands against the tense muscles on his thighs. They’re as rough as Ren remembers, and so, so careful with Ren’s body, like it’s only Ryuji’s touch keeping him together at the seams. Ren suppresses a shudder. “That’s good,” Ryuji encourages quietly, and it’s innocuous, just encouragement from an instructor but Ren’s blood runs hot like he’s being burned from the inside out.</p><p>“Right,” Ren murmurs, and turns his head sideways to press his cheek into the sand, because watching Ryuji hover over him, murmuring praises is not helping with how weirdly turned on he is, and that shit needs to stop <em>fast.</em></p><p>Ren is so busy trying to focus on anything other than Ryuji’s touch that he barely notices when it lightens considerably, until Ren’s swaying legs slow to a crawl and then stop. Ren glances back up at him curiously. “Ryuji?”</p><p>“Huh?” Ryuji says, like he’s snapping back to himself. “Yeah? Yes! Right!” he says, and pulls away, lets Ren sit back up. “Um, so, popping up! Right, I’ve got to show you how to pop up.”</p><p>Ren watches him set both of their boards in the sand to listen to Ryuji walk him through hopping onto his board in one go. Ren tries to copy him once, twice, and then glances over his shoulder at Ryuji. “Did I do it right?”</p><p>Ryuji starts. “Yeah! Uh, wow, you got that fast.”</p><p>Ren smiles. “I try not to be bad at things on principle.” That gets a laugh out of Ryuji, who makes him do it a few more times, until Ren’s legs are a little shaky with exertion, and he wonders how long until they’re out in the cool water.</p><p>“Cool! Good!” Ryuji says, and he stands up. “We’ll get you leashed, and I’ll show you how to paddle out. We might even get you on a wave once or twice!”</p><p>Ren smiles, follows Ryuji’s instructions, and then he’s being led out into the water, gripping one of Ryuji’s spare boards and trying not to shiver against the cold of the water. It’s a strange and all together difficult experience, paddling out with Ryuji at his side, trying to coach him through it, until they’re far enough out that Ryuji is sitting up and watching for waves, explaining some critical things about surfing he didn’t mention on shore. Ren watches him talk and traces the line of his profile against the blue sky so often he forgets to actually listen in to whatever Ryuji is saying. He’s thinking about Ryuji’s collarbones—sharp and pretty, Ren wants to sink his teeth into them—when Ryuji smiles and startles him with a “Got that?”</p><p>Ren thinks he might secretly be an idiot because he just nods, and he certainly did not get <em>any</em> of that. But Ryuji tells him he’s like a natural, that it’s not so scary once you get used to it, and Ren stares ahead and wonders, it can’t be that hard, right?</p><p>When he wipes out so hard it knocks the wind out of him, Ren thinks, <em>ah, it is that hard.</em></p><p>He’s turned around by the wave, unsure of where the surface is, and the leash on his ankle is pulling him up towards his board, but Ren thinks he’s starting to panic, because he doesn’t know how to move his arms the way he needs, and the surface feels too far away, and fuck, fuck, <em>fuck</em>—</p><p>There’s an arm around his waist, and suddenly Ren is bursting past the surface, and taking a too deep breath, coughing and sputtering water out of his nose.</p><p>“Woah, hey!” Ryuji says, and he’s steering Ren towards his own board, hoisting his body over the edge of the board and making sure Ren isn’t going to lose his grip. “Holy shit, are you okay?”</p><p>“Peachy,” Ren wheezes, and holds onto his board tighter.</p><p>“Breathe,” Ryuji says instead of admonishing him, and Ren takes a few shaky breaths. He feels Ryuji’s own free floating board bump against his back when the waves push it in their direction, but Ryuji uses an arm to bat it away until he’s sure Ren isn’t about to drown out of water or have a panic attack. There’s a concerned sideways glance thrown his way.</p><p>“Dude, what the hell happened?”</p><p>Ren sighs, and shifts a little bit, notices that Ryuji’s arm is still supporting him at his waist. He tries not to flush. “Sorry, I think I was distracted.”</p><p>“By <em>what</em>? Ain’t anything out here but me.”</p><p>Ren can feel the blush working over his skin anyway. “Yeah.”</p><p>One quick glance at Ryuji’s face tells him that he’s not unaffecting, his cheeks slowly blossoming red. His arm squeezes arounds Ren’s waist like it’s involuntary. “R-right,” he mumbles.</p><p>“Sorry,” Ren says, and just takes the plunge, leans his head onto Ryuji’s shoulder. “And after you went through the trouble of teaching me, too.”</p><p>“It’s okay!” Ryuji assures. “Do you think it would help if you could watch me, instead of just having me explain it to you?”</p><p>“Definitely,” Ren says, because if watching got him in trouble before, it might be better to use his apparent fascination with Ryuji to keep himself from getting drowned, this time.</p><p>Ryuji nods, and he looks a little happier now, probably less worried about Ren drowning. “Great! I don’t want to wear you out, so if you want you can sit on the beach and watch. This gets tiring fast, so I don’t want to push you too hard.”</p><p>“Okay,” Ren says with a smile, and he swims back to the shore by himself. He sits at the edge of the water to keep cool but makes sure he’s not deep enough that he can get knocked over by a stray wave. Ryuji shoots him an exaggerated thumbs up that Ren returns, laughing.</p><p>“You ate shit out there,” someone says behind him, and Ren cranes his neck backwards to catch Makoto standing over him. She moves to his side and sits next to him in the water.</p><p>“Uh, thanks?”</p><p>“That wasn’t a compliment. I thought I was going to have to come get you. You’re lucky Ryuji is a strong swimmer.”</p><p>Ren looks out at his form in the water, bobbing up and down with the waves. He is a strong swimmer, if he’s able to haul Ren’s sorry ass out of the water. His brain supplies him with a bit of the panic from before, and then the calm of Ryuji’s arms around his waist and his head against Ryuji’s shoulder, and Ren laughs too loud. “Y-yeah, I guess.”</p><p>Makoto gives him a look sideways. “You’re a little strange.”</p><p>Ren frowns. “Shouldn’t you be watching for like… people drowning right now?”</p><p>Makoto shakes her head. “Hifumi’s on duty. I’m waiting for Haru to bring me lunch.”</p><p>“Right,” Ren says, and he sees the telltale tense of Ryuji’s shoulders before he pedals out to catch a wave peeling towards the shore. His movements are practiced, effortless in their repetition. He’s strong on his board, riding plain without the fancy tricks he uses during competitions. He does pop off of the waves once, just to show off, and Ren can’t help the smile that accompanies the eye roll. He’s seen a lot of Ryuji in the past few weeks, but he thinks this is his favorite time to watch him. He laughs like he’s flying.</p><p>Ren actually forgets Makoto is there until she mumbles, “He’s really talented, huh?”</p><p>Ren sighs like the lovesick idiot he is, and nods.</p><p>He glances at Makoto in time to see the form moving down the edge of the water, familiar blue sundress flapping in the wind. “Mako-chan!” Haru shouts, toting a bag on one arm and—Ren blinks twice like he’s seeing things—a cat in the other. “Mona-chan and I brought you lunch!” She catches up to them in the water and she’s bright in the sunlight, in a floppy sunhat and holding her dark cat by his fuzzy little butt.</p><p>Ren can see Makoto’s smile stretching over her face from the edge of her profile. “Thanks.”</p><p>The cat in Haru’s arms meows happily, and Ren also notices that said cat is on a <em>leash</em>, which he didn’t even know was a thing. Makoto pushes herself up on her hands and turns to Ren. “See you around. Please don’t make me come save you from drowning.”</p><p>Ren smiles. “I’ll try.”</p><p>They’re off with a wave, and a pet to the cat’s head, from Makoto. Ren watches them go, and then turns his head back to Ryuji, just to see him jogging towards him, legs kicking up water. “Hey!” he says and sits down next to Ren in the sand. “Think you can do it?”</p><p>He still eats shit this time, but he doesn’t drown, at least. Which Ryuji sees as progress. It earns Ren a clap on the back in congratulations, and he’s secretly grateful when Ryuji suggests they take a lunch break, because his arms were shaking the last time he tried to pop up on his board. He can’t imagine doing this for hours at a time, the way Ryuji does, though he appreciates the muscle it’s built up on his body in secret. What Ryuji doesn’t know won’t kill him.</p><p>They eat lunch on Ryuji’s stuff. Ren blushes when Ryuji presents him with a homemade lunch, citing that he’s kind of had to learn how to cook to keep his diet up to par with the athletics, and Ren feels grateful anyway, getting to eat Ryuji’s cooking. It’s nothing special, but he loves it anyway.</p><p>“What’s that?” Ryuji asks, pointing at the book half tumbling out of Ren’s sideways day bag. “Looks interesting.”</p><p>“What, <em>Pirate Legend</em>?” Ren says, reaching out to open the book in his lap. “I brought it the first day Futaba and I came to the beach. I guess I never took it out of my bag. I kinda grabbed it at random.”</p><p>“What’s it about?” Ryuji asks, taking a bite of his food.</p><p>Ren shrugs. “Legend about Captain Kidd.” He chuckles when Ryuji’s eyes light up. “You into pirates?”</p><p>“Hell yeah!” Ryuji says, and crosses his legs before he starts gesturing enthusiastically. Ren barely avoids the crumbs that fly his way. “They’re, like, <em>the </em>ultimate rebels. You don’t get cooler than pirates.”</p><p>Ren smiles. “Wanna borrow it?”</p><p>Ryuji looks like he’s thinking about it hard before he shakes his head. “Nah, I got enough on my plate right now. And, uh, I don’t think I’m much of a book person.”</p><p>Ren suddenly feels guilty, hogging Ryuji’s time when he’s probably trying to balance training <em>and</em> his social life. “I’m, uh, not taking up too much of your time, am I?”</p><p>Ryuji’s eyes go wide. “No way, man! Plus, this is still practice for me! I can’t get sloppy with the fundamentals, so helping you is just me running through how to do shit properly again.”</p><p>“That’s good,” Ren sighs. “As much as I love spending time with you, I don’t want to add more stress onto your shoulders.”</p><p>Ryuji smiles, and pokes Ren in the shoulder. “You love spending time with me?”</p><p>Ren pushes him back. “Don’t be a jackass.” He’s smiling, though. “Of course I do.”</p><p>“What else do you do?” Ryuji asks, after a beat of silence. “Like, normally. You said you don’t come to the beach often, and you’re not the athletic type, so is it just books for you?”</p><p>Ren looks at the sky, thinking. “Not really. Though I do play a lot of video games. Probably too many.” He shrugs. “I guess I do a lot of everything. Though, before I moved to Tokyo for university, I was mostly studying, trying to get out of my hometown.”</p><p>Ryuji bumps their shoulders together. “You told me that. Why’d you leave, anyway?”</p><p>Ren sighs. “I think I got bored. My parents were supportive though, said that the first summer I came back to Inaba it seemed like my heart was still in the city. I think my mom said something like I was ‘too big for Inaba’s narrow streets.” He shrugs again. “So, I asked around, and surprisingly, my part time employer let me stay with him.”</p><p>“Well, I’m glad you came,” Ryuji says, and Ren feels his heart go all fluttery again. “It’s funny, before you showed up, I was starting to lose some of my interest in surfing. It felt like I was just doing the same thing every day.” He drops his hand onto the towel next to Ren’s. “You make me want to do more, though. So, thanks for outgrowing your roots, I guess!”</p><p>Ren reaches between them and loops their pinkies together. Ryuji startles, glances at his face, and then down at his hands. Ren smiles. “No problem.”</p><p>Ryuji helps him tackle a few more waves after that, until Ren is walking like a shaky calf back to the shore, half wondering if he’ll actually manage to reach it when big enough waves lap at his legs. Ryuji practically force feeds him water, even though Ren is sick of any and everything wet, and he lounges around on Ryuji’s towel watching him surf until nightfall, stopping only to switch from his stomach to his back or vice versa when he feels like he might be starting to burn.</p><p>“The beach is closing soon,” Ryuji says, walking back up to his towel. Ren rolls onto his back and glances up at him, eyes straining from a day of staring into the water. Ryuji looks like he might actually have energy to spare, doing little bounces on the balls of his feet that make a smile tug on the corner of Ren’s mouth. “Ready to wash up and go home?”</p><p>“I guess,” Ren sighs, and stands up. He helps Ryuji gather all of his things and carries the spare boards toward the line of stalls with showers in them, ready to wash off all the sand and seawater. At least, he thinks he is, until he notices that they’re all occupied except for one. “Oh,” he says, and Ryuji sets their stuff down right outside of the open curtain. He peeks inside.</p><p>“We could probably both fit in here,” he suggests, and Ren thinks time stops long enough that his freakishly long silence might be excusable.</p><p>“Is that a good idea?” he asks, thinking about the close press of Ryuji in the shower, and then his brain is conjuring the feeling of his skin from the <em>two</em> times he’s had to save him, and nope, time to shut that line of reasoning down <em>fast</em>. If it comes to it, Ren will turn around and walk into the ocean if he gets pops a boner right now.</p><p>“’s fine!” Ryuji chirps, and he’s grabbing Ren by the wrist and tugging him into the stall. Ren notices for the first time that Ryuji’s massive hand actually fits around his bony wrist, and Ren thinks the devil might be bleach blond. “We’re just rinsing off, right? Not like we gotta get naked or anything.”</p><p>“If you say so,” Ren says, though he sounds as unsure as he feels, even as Ryuji pulls him past the flimsy curtain and flings it closed, before Ren is yelping as a spray of cold water hits his head. It’s dark in the stall, with the curtain closed and the lights from the beach and the surrounding city cut off, but he can still see Ryuji easy enough, including the guilty look on his face when he pulls his hand from the shower handle.</p><p>“Sorry!” Ryuji laughs, and takes a step back from the water so it doesn’t catch him too.</p><p>“Dickhead,” Ren says, stepping out of the spray to shake his head like a dog in Ryuji’s direction, catching him with the water off of his curls. Ryuji laughs, and throws his hands up as a flimsy protector.</p><p>“Jeez, my b-bad! Ren, that’s cold!”</p><p>They laugh it off and Ren steps backward into the now only slightly warmer water, lets it wash some of the grittiness of the sand off of his skin down the drain. Ryuji, however, follows right after him, and then his body is <em>too</em> close, only an inch or so separating the tan expanse of his skin from Ren’s, thin rivulets of water streaking down his skin like they’re racing. Ren tries to keep his eyes away from the way water pools at his collarbone to slide down his bare chest, and then he’s staring at Ryuji’s chest instead, trying desperately to think the least sexy things about the pretty pink-brown of Ryuji’s nipples he realizes he does <em>not</em> admire enough in the daylight.</p><p>“What?” Ryuji asks, when he notices Ren staring. He has to tilt his head up a little to look Ryuji in the eye since they’re as close as they are, and Ren never realized Ryuji is just a bit shorter than him, but now he thinks it’s <em>cute</em>, his pout a little fuller at the new angle, like Ryuji doesn’t have the kind of body that keeps Ren up at night.</p><p>Instead of something horribly embarrassing, Ren goes with “You’re really tan.” which, granted, is only <em>slightly</em> embarrassing.</p><p>Ryuji’s eyebrows pinch together despite this, and he casts a quick gaze down at his arms and his torso. “Am I?” he asks, and like he’s not really thinking, hooks his fingers into the edge of his shorts to tug them down his hips a bit, exposing a little sliver of pale skin that makes Ryuji’s mouth go dry. His skin is apparently <em>really</em> tanned, now that Ren has seen what it looks like on it’s own, but more pressing than that is the little dip at the corner of Ryuji’s hipbones, the start of the V of his pelvis that’s making Ren think he wants to see more but <em>less, </em>oh god, or he’s going to die.</p><p>Ren manages to tear his eyes away, but only to glance back up at Ryuji’s face, where his confusion has melted into realization. “Oh, man, I guess I am. So are you,” Ryuji is saying, and Ren yelps when there’s a thumb pressing into his hips, pushing the hem of his swimsuit down just enough for Ren to see his own, if less severe, tan line.</p><p>Most of Ren’s brain, though, is focused on Ryuji’s fingers against his skin, and when he swipes his thumb over the line between the two contrasting shades of his skin, Ren shivers like there’s an earthquake reserved solely for him, and he makes a soft gasping sound when Ryuji’s other hand presses higher, pushing towards his stomach.</p><p>“Ah, sorry,” Ryuji says quietly, but he’s not moving his hands, voice soft and sweet, in a way Ren has never really heard before, wants to hear <em>again</em>, desperately. He could get addicted to Ryuji talking to him like that, voice more a rumble in Ren’s own chest than his usual excited hollering. Though, Ren thinks that’s good too. He thinks all of it is good, wants everything, wants it now.</p><p>Without thinking, Ren is moving his hand up Ryuji’s chest, slick from the water, towards the sharp line of his jaw, and he swipes the pad of his finger at the skin just below Ryuji’s ear and watches his eyes flutter closed, a little <em>nn,</em> of a noise push past his teeth. It’s electrifying, like Ren has been shot through with lightning. The fingers at Ren’s own hip dig in a little tighter, and Ren half hums, afraid to disturb the strange atmosphere that’s taken over.</p><p>“Ren,” Ryuji murmurs, and he slides his eyes back open on a shudder, starts to arch up slightly. His mouth is tantalizingly close, and Ren needs to kiss him the way he needs to breathe, feels like he’s made of condensed light.</p><p>Ren watches Ryuji swallow, and he’s tilting his head a little bit, Ren presses his hand a little heavier into Ryuji’s skin, and like he’s been yanked back by a string, Ryuji is turning away, clearing his throat and hiding his eyes.</p><p>“W-we should hurry, right? Don’t want you to miss your train.”</p><p>“Right,” Ren says, a little hollow, and moves his hand from Ryuji’s neck. <em>You were about to kiss me</em>. He feels dizzy. <em>Why didn’t you kiss me?</em></p><p>Ryuji peels his hands off of Ren’s skin and lets him rinse off, all without really looking Ren in the face again. It’s <em>weird</em>, the air still charged with whatever was happening earlier, but now Ren just feels like he’d had the rug pulled from under him halfway through a sprint, and he can’t see Ryuji’s face in the dark like this, <em>needs</em> to see his face.</p><p>They walk to the station in near silence. Ren is almost sure that he’s fucked up so badly that their blossoming relationship, friendship, whatever will never recover from this, until Ryuji stops him before he descends into the station, reaching out to grab Ren by the hand.</p><p>“Um,” he starts, eyes fixed firmly on the ground. “I have another competition on Saturday. I want you to be there.”</p><p>“O-of course,” Ren says, taken a little off guard. He tries to cover it by squeezing Ryuji’s hand, and tries not to think about how the gesture makes Ryuji press his mouth into a nervous, flat line. “Anywhere you need me.” It sounds trite, and stupid, but Ryuji’s face lights up with a smile, and Ren remembers that he’s like the sun, too bright to look at sometimes.</p><p>When Ren bursts into Leblanc, he scares Sojiro so badly he clutches at his chest like he’s having a heart attack. “Jesus, Ren,” he huffs.</p><p>“I need Saturday off,” Ren says quickly. Sojiro puffs a disbelieving little laugh, and takes a step back when Ren leans up to the counter and leans so far over it he’s barely on his feet. “I will literally work every day for the rest of this week if you let me take all of Saturday off. Swear on my life.”</p><p>Sojiro sighs. “You’re so dramatic. You’re making up for it on Friday, but take Saturday off if you want. Fine by me.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Ren exhales, and then he looks back up. “I can make it up to you. Want me to call you dad?”</p><p>“Please do not.”</p><p>Ren shrugs and Sojiro makes him wash dishes and lock up, but Ren feels like he’s running a fever, darting around like a headless chicken because he can still feel a strange ghost of Ryuji’s fingers on his skin when his shirt scratches against his stomach. Ren doesn’t know why he <em>stopped</em>. He wanted to kiss him, Ren knows, had been more than halfway there. What was the issue?</p><p>He pulls his phone out to check his messages, probably for the sixth time in the last ten minutes or so, just to see if maybe Ryuji has sent a message about something, anything. His contacts are all quiet, even Futaba, who Ren sends a quick message asking on her date before shoving his phone back into his pants.</p><p>That night, he dreams about saltwater and shower heads, and Ryuji’s hands frozen at his skin, and drowning. He drowns, and he drowns, and he wakes up in the morning so sweaty he wonders if he was dreaming or not.</p><p>Ren texts Ryuji first, because he knows enough about his own brain to think that the dream may not be a one-time thing if he doesn’t get their… situation sorted. Ryuji responds back just as bright as he had been before, and like that, they’re back on track, no lingering awkwardness as far as Ren can tell.</p><p>He spends the week playing games in the attic, except for the one excursion out to make Futaba beat a level he’d gotten stuck on, and by the time Saturday is rolling around, Ren feels good. And he’s made up his mind. After the competition, he thinks. He’ll ask Ryuji out <em>properly,</em> like he should have countless times before, and if he says no then Ren will drop it and they’ll go back to doing <em>whatever</em>. He knows how to pick his heart up piece by piece. He’s done it before.</p><p>He’s tapping out a message to Ryuji to tell him he’s on the way, when he rounds the corner out of the alley and narrowly avoids colliding with Futaba. She looks at him with wide, guilty eyes, clutching the bag on her shoulder and rocking on her feet.</p><p>“Where are you going?”</p><p>“Where are <em>you</em> going?”</p><p>Futaba huffs, and crosses her arms over her chest. She looks like she’s going to the beach again, in a frilly sleeveless top and white shorts. “To see Sumi surf.” She curls her lip a little. “Are you…?”</p><p>Ren nods. “Ryuji, yeah.”</p><p>“Ugh,” Futaba says, and takes a few steps forward to loop their arms together. “Well, we might as well go together.”</p><p>“So gracious,” Ren teases, but he lets Futaba lead him off towards the station, her sandals slapping against the ground.</p><p>He texts Ryuji on the train ride, but it seems like their conversation ends up turning back to the competition, and Ryuji sends his seventh or eighth <em>I’m going to win today, for sure!</em> in a row. It’s all Ren can do to text back <em>I’m rooting for you.</em> There’s a little niggling fear in his stomach as they walk to the beach, and Ryuji’s messages die down, that maybe there <em>is</em> still some awkwardness lingering, and maybe Ren just can’t sense it. Ann did say Ryuji tends to shut himself off before competitions. Maybe he just feels like he needs the extra focus for the day.</p><p>Futaba peels off from him when she spots Yoshizawa, and he smiles when she sweeps Futaba into a twirling hug, leaning down to look her in the eye and talk excitedly. He feels a little jealous, if he’s honest with himself, but mostly he’s happy that Futaba looks so at ease, catching Yoshizawa’s hand and very clearly launching into a speech on whatever aspect of Yoshizawa’s sport she learned since they’d last seen each other.</p><p>Ren scans groups of people, and walks around, but doesn’t find Ryuji until he peeks inside of one of the little pop-up tents that’s set up, and finds him sitting on the ground, waxing his board with headphones in.</p><p>“Knock, knock,” Ren says, loud enough that Ryuji should be able to hear him through the headphones. He glances up, and his face breaks into a smile that looks a little nervous. Seems like he hit the nail on the head. He looks a little off his game.</p><p>“Glad you made it,” Ryuji says, when Ren comes and sits in front of his board. “I, uh. I want to make sure you get to see me at my best today.” He looks back down at his board, and Ren reads the tension of his shoulders.</p><p>“I thought you were pretty impressive last time,” Ren assures, leaning over Ryuji’s board to catch his eye. His stomach twists when Ryuji turns his face so Ren can’t look at him.</p><p>“I could have done better… I can do better. Am going to.”</p><p>Ren frowns. “Are you okay? I think you’re putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on yourself.”</p><p>Ryuji’s laugh is dry and humorless. “I think it’s a necessary amount.” Silence settles then, so thick Ren wonders if he’s said something wrong. “The heat is going to start soon. I’m going to warm up.”</p><p>“Okay,” Ren says, and watches Ryuji go, clutching his board so tight his knuckles are white. Ren feels worried, but he also feels wildly out of his depth. Should he be offering assurances, or trying to keep Ryuji calm? Or maybe he needs the space. Ren is nearly pulling at his hair by the time he ventures out of the tent to watch Ryuji surf.</p><p>Ren thinks he does fine in his first heat, but the joy in his movements is missing, like he’s a robot trained for the sport and nothing else. Normally he’s like a force of nature out on the water, powerful like a forest fire, but his performance is clinical and precise, the way he’d run Ren through the basics.</p><p>Ren lets him swim back and intercepts him with a smile, laughing at the way Ryuji shakes water off of himself. He quiets down when he notices Ryuji’s downcast eyes and clears his throat instead. “Good job! Want a massage or something as reward?” he jokes and makes an over exaggerated grabbing motion with his hands. Ryuji cracks a smile but shakes his head.</p><p>“I’m good,” is all he offers, and then he’s off in a different direction. Ren frowns but follows him, has nothing else to do. Results come out, and Ryuji’s score is low, but it’s still high enough to move him ahead.</p><p>The news comes in and Ryuji swears before he sets his phone down, knees pulled against his chest. He’s still gently ignoring Ren, wrapped up in a towel and leaning against the pillar of the canopy with his eyes closed. Ren takes one more deep breath and thinks, <em>okay, make it or break it time.</em></p><p>“What’s going on in your head right now?” he asks, and sits right next to Ryuji, their arms touching. Ryuji doesn’t flinch away, which is a good sign, considering Ren was starting to think he was repulsed at touching him now.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>Ren rests his elbows on his own bent knees and leans forwards so he can see Ryuji’s face better. “I mean…” how does he say this nicely? “You seem… off your game today. Like watching you surf feels like I’m looking at someone else. There’s no you in it.”</p><p>Ryuji’s eyes go wide, and he glances down. “Really? I thought… I think I’m thinking too much.”</p><p>Ren gasps, and Ryuji glances up at him, half alarmed. “<em>Ryuji Sakamoto</em>? Doing too much thinking? What did you do with my ‘yuji, you imposter.”</p><p>Ryuji smiles a little easier, and then he’s leaning some of his weight into Ren’s shoulder. Ren barely swallows the urge to reach up and curl fingers through his hair. “It’s dumb. I shouldn’t worry so much, right? I said I was going to win, and I meant it.”</p><p>Ren glances down at him. “Is that what all this moping was about? You were worried about winning that bad?”</p><p>Ryuji nods. “It’s all I have y’know? If I can’t do this, then how…” he trails off, staring into space like he’s seeing a scene Ren can’t even imagine.</p><p>“Hey,” Ren says, and he knocks their heads together softly. “You have me.”</p><p>Ryuji’s eyes flicker down into the sand again. “Right.”</p><p>His next heat is better, Ren can see some of the familiarity creeping back into his routine, that little thumbs up he sends Ren’s way after he catches his last wave. Ren smiles and sends it back, waving his arms like an idiot.</p><p>Ryuji is practically vibrating while they wait for the results this time, picking at his nails and tapping his board. Ren insists they play games to keep Ryuji’s mind off of results, and they’re on their tenth game of tic tac toe in the sand when Ryuji’s phone buzzes, and he’s on top of it so fast, Ren sees a flash of blond more than Ryuji actually moving. Ann is posted near where results are being posted, but Ryuji sighs, and lifts his phone up. “Twitter,” he says. Ren ropes him into another game.</p><p>They move to dots and boxes, and Ryuji accuses him of cheating when Ren wins for the third time, and nearly misses the vibration of his phone in the middle of it. He picks it up with one hand, still grilling Ren on his supposed technique, when his mouth snaps shut.</p><p>“What is it?” Ren asks, Ryuji’s excitement starting to get to him. He leans over so he can look at the message over Ryuji’s shoulder, but Ryuji rounds on him with a huge grin, and slaps a hand down onto Ren’s shoulder.</p><p>“Finals!” he says, and Ryuji is scrambling to his feet, eyes darting around for the end of his board’s leash. “Oh shit!” he says, and then pauses. “I made it to finals.”</p><p>“Congrats!” Ren says, reaching across the space between them to smack at Ryuji’s leg. “You’re gonna crush it!”</p><p>“H-hell yeah I am!” Ryuji says, suddenly gaining all of the energy back in one go. He points at Ren. “Make sure you watch me. I’m going to kill it out there and then—” he stops, face going an endearing shade of red fast enough Ren feels dizzy just watching it.</p><p>“Then, what?” Ren asks sweetly, leaning onto his hands over Ryuji’s board. There are little butterflies in his stomach, and he looks up at Ryuji’s flushed face and wants every little thing he has to offer.</p><p>“Then.” Ryuji repeats again, and he’s bending over to grab his board. He flashes a grin Ren’s way. “Then!”</p><p>Ren walks with him to where he’s set to go out and thinks about a million times about yanking Ryuji back by the hand and wrapping him in a hug tight enough to crush his feelings into Ryuji himself. He’s so caught up in the idea that he nearly walks into Ryuji when he stops at the edge of the water and turns to Ren’s with stars in his eyes. “Make sure you watch me,” he says, and Ren could kiss him, just like this.</p><p>“What else would I do?” he says instead, which makes Ryuji smile like the sun.</p><p>He’s off in the water, and Ren watches him with his hands in his pockets, a goofy grin stretching across his face. This is ridiculous, he thinks. They’re ridiculous. He dreams about Ryuji coming back to shore and Ren holding his face in his hands and saying, <em>I literally can’t stop thinking about you.</em> His grin stretches wider.</p><p>He’s still a little caught up in his own head when Ryuji blows his first wave, careening into the water before he’s managed to get steady footing on the water. Ren doesn’t worry, has seen him do this before, knows he still has a few more opportunities to pick it back up. Things don’t just end after one wave.</p><p> But then it’s the same of Ryuji’s second wave, and his third, and he drops in on a wave his opponent has priority on, effectively shooting himself in the foot. Ren winces. <em>What is he doing</em>? Even this far away, Ren can see the frustration creeping into his body, and by the time he manages to catch and hold a wave, he’s back to the strange robotic surfing, and Ren chokes on a yell. <em>Calm down</em>, he wants to yell, that he’s <em>here</em> and he’s <em>watching</em> just like Ryuji wanted, that he’s in his own head and Ren doesn’t know why, needs him to get back out here. On his last wave, Ryuji wipes out so hard it takes Ren’s breath away.</p><p>He’s still holding his breath as he watches Ryuji swimming back in, and Ren doesn’t even realize what he’s doing until there’s water at his legs, and Ryuji is still staring at the ground, his board loose under his arm. Ren only gets far enough out to feel the waves at his calves, but Ryuji is still close enough that Ren can see him shaking.</p><p>“Are you okay?” he asks, before he can really think about it, and Ryuji takes one deep breath, and sinks down to his knees in the surf.</p><p>“Goddamn it,” he says quietly, and Ren drops down just in front of him, their knees touching in the water. “<em>Goddamn</em> <em>it</em>.” Ryuji’s voice breaks, and Ren winces, lifts his hand and is unsure again if he should touch him right now, if that’s what he needs—</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Ryuji gasps, and he drops his shoulders a little bit, and Ren notices that he’s <em>crying</em>, the tears at the edge of his eyes mixing with the water still beading on his face. Ren says <em>fuck it</em>, and leans forward to wrap his arms around Ryuji’s shoulders and pull him into a hug so tight, he thinks he might crack Ryuji’s spine. There are light fingers at Ren’s back, but Ryuji isn’t really touching him back, just sitting and shaking as Ren hold him, his tears starting to brush warm against Ren’s skin.</p><p>“Why are you apologizing?” Ren says gently, and that seems to be enough to make Ryuji realize that he’s actually here, not just some strange projection of Ryuji’s brain. He worms out of Ren’s arms enough to push him back by the chest, and Ren goes, holds his hands up so Ryuji knows exactly what he’s doing as he pulls away.</p><p>Ryuji takes a shaky breath, and then he’s crying again, a high growl pushing past his teeth that goes through Ren’s heart like a knife. “I’m such an <em>idiot</em>,” he spits, and Ren’s heart breaks. “I suck <em>shit</em> at the one thing I’m supposed to be good at, goddamn it. I’m worthless, I’m worthless, why can’t I… Fuck, Ren!” he says, and lifts a hand up to scrub at his eye too hard. When he looks up at Ren with shining eyes, Ren’s hands twitch. “I want you to like me.” He says, around a rough hiccup. “I want. I like <em>you</em>,” he starts, and Ren’s blood rushes past his ears so loudly he thinks he’s gone deaf.</p><p>Ryuji rubs at his eyes again, and now he’s just babbling, talking so fast Ren doesn’t know how to comprehend what he’s saying, “You’re so stupidly handsome, and smart, and you’re <em>funny</em> and I thought if I could show you I’m useful, that I’m worth something that when. That if I asked you out—but I like you <em>so much</em> and I wanted to ask you out so bad I got nervous and <em>blew it,</em> killed any of the stupid slim chances I have of you ever—"</p><p><em>Oh</em>. Ren realizes. <em>This is ridiculous.</em></p><p>He puts his hands on Ryuji’s shoulders again, and kisses him. It’s a shit kiss, Ren knows, because he’s pressed too close to Ryuji’s mouth, and their lips are just smushed together, and it’s a little gross with Ryuji’s face covered in tears and a little bit of snot, but Ren doesn’t regret it, not even when Ryuji shoves him away again.</p><p>Ren goes, putting as much space between them as Ryuji wants. His eyes are wide, like he’s not sure what he’s looking at, but then his hand is on Ren’s neck, and he’s pulling Ren in to kiss him again.</p><p>And it’s… good. World stopping, this time. Ryuji slots their mouths together and stops crying, the slide of his lips slick and soft and Ren nearly tackles him into the ocean. Ren ridiculously thinks that kissing Ryuji feels like watching him surf, and their noses knock together once, and Ren leans away, just slightly, enough to still be able to feel Ryuji trying to catch his breath puffing against his mouth.</p><p>“Ren—“ Ryuji starts.</p><p>“Go out with me.” Ren says, and reaches out to wrap his arms around Ryuji’s neck. Their foreheads press together a little harder, and Ren threads a hand through the back of Ryuji’s hair. Everything about him is soft from the sun and cool from the water. Ryuji sighs, once, and it’s a little shaky, and Ren will be <em>damned</em> if he lets him cry on his watch again. “Go out with me, Ryuji Sakamoto. Right now.”</p><p>“You’re an idiot,” Ryuji laughs, before he kisses him again, and Ren feels his first real breath of the day wash through him.</p><p>They pack up all of Ryuji’s shit and take off down the beach without even waiting for results, duck into the pop-up restaurants and stalls and shove at each other when things get too quiet. Ren buys them snow cones and Ryuji complains—he apparently doesn’t like having money spent on him—and Ren lets himself be dragged so far down the beach that everyone disappears. Ryuji sits him in the sand, and practically curls into his side, and Ren has no idea if he’s always this warm, or if it’s just a day in the sun that does it.</p><p>“I cannot believe you were that bent out of shape over asking me out,” Ren snickers, and gets a bit of shaved ice flicked at his face.</p><p>“Um, have you <em>seen</em> you, dude? I was half convinced you were already pulling, if I’m going to be honest.” He laughs. “I actually thought that Futaba was your girlfriend the first time I was you together.” He takes a bite out of his snow cone that makes Ren’s sensitive teeth ache in sympathy. “I, uh, may have asked if she was your sister based more on wistful thinking than anything else.”</p><p>Ren laughs. “Yeah, no, Futaba is way off my radar. Even if she <em>did</em> like boys, she’s basically my little sister.” He shivers. “Not to mention I’m working for her dad.”</p><p>“Yikes,” Ryuji winces, and reaches down to thread their fingers together. His palms are coated in sand, and Ren thinks that his hands must just feel like that, that maybe Ryuji was just born on a beach and never left. Ren thinks he’ll never be able to go to a beach without thinking about the unnatural blue of his tongue from his snow cone. “Yeah, that’s a no-go.”</p><p>“Tell me about it,” Ren says, and then he smiles. “Plus, the only person on my radar lately is you, anyway.”</p><p>“Sappy,” Ryuji is saying, snuggling into Ren impossibly closer.</p><p>Ren cracks a grin and lifts his snow cone. “It’s syrup, actually.” He catches Ryuji’s laugh in his mouth, and thinks he tastes like the kind of flavor you only get with shaved ice, which is never the blueberry bullshit they advertise. Ryuji’s tongue tastes like <em>blue</em>, and salt water, and Ren gets woozy when Ryuji sighs into his mouth. He chases the sweet taste of his tongue into his mouth, strokes his thumb across Ryuji’s where their hands are joined. Ryuji makes a pretty little sound in his throat that just edges Ren on, licking into Ryuji’s mouth until he’s putty in his hands, like they’re a couple of stupid teenagers sucking face in public.</p><p>When he finally pulls away, Ryuji’s face is flushed, and his mouth is kissed suitably pink, and he’s got a hazy content look in his eyes, like Ren has wiped any memory without his name attached from his brain. He presses his mouth to the corner of Ryuji’s lips one more time, just because he can’t help it.</p><p>“I know you don’t need to hear this from me, and maybe it would be better of me to just keep my mouth shut, but I’m proud of you.” Ren says, and Ryuji’s eyes go wide. “All of you. I’m glad to be here like this, and I’m glad you got sand in your mouth because you fell in front of me that one time, if it meant this. You’re. Um.” Ren flails a little when the edges of Ryuji’s eyes crinkle with affection. “Well, you’re my favorite thing to happen to me, so.”</p><p>Ryuji looks like he doesn’t know what to say, and Ren’s face is heating up because <em>fuck</em>, <em>that was too much, wasn’t it</em>, but the grin that breaks across Ryuji’s face takes all of Ren’s worries and crumples them somewhere he won’t look. “You’re literally going to give me a cavity,” Ryuji says, and dumps the rest of his snow cone in his mouth, before he sets the cup down in the sand and crawls into Ren’s lap. Ren laughs, and then squeaks when Ryuji’s cold mouth presses into his neck. “I’m shit at stuff like this,” he sighs, and his breath is cold against Ren’s skin. “But… same, for me! I wanna be… here. I want you by my side, as long as you’ll have me.”</p><p>Ren cracks a smile. “You know, I think that’s all I wanted.”</p><p>Ryuji grins down at him and covers his genuine glee with an eye roll. “Kiss me, you idiot.”</p><p>Ren does, to the best of his ability.</p><p>They spend the evening sitting in the sand and watching the waves, talking about absolutely nothing, and also kissing. Like a <em>lot</em> of kissing. Ren is glad they’re somewhere people can’t see them, because Ryuji doesn’t leave his lap for a second, and it’s probably a bad idea for an up and coming pro athlete to be shamelessly pressed into someone like this where the general population is privy.</p><p>“Beach is gonna close soon,” Ryuji says into his mouth, and Ren rubs circles into his sides with his thumbs, hums in acknowledgement. There’s a slick little sound as Ryuji pulls away from his mouth that makes Ren wrinkle his nose and blush. There’s a hand on the edge of his jaw the Ren leans into like a cat, and his arms around Ryuji’s hips tug him closer. Ryuji’s hum has his smile in it as he strokes fingers idly across Ren’s face. “Wanna wash up and go home?” he says, and Ren opens his eyes to see the little upturn to his mouth.  The heat of his hands on Ren’s skin mean something <em>very</em> different than they did the first time Ryuji asked that question.</p><p>Ren grins up at him. “Sure would be a shame if all the shower stalls were taken,” he purrs, and Ryuji leans down to press his lips to the soft skin under his eye.</p><p>“I mean,” he says, rolling off of Ren’s lap to grab his stuff. Ryuji gets a swat to his thigh that makes him laugh. “Those stalls <em>are</em> pretty big. We could probably both fit.”</p><p>“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Ren says, and he catches Ryuji’s hand before he’s leading him back to the line of shower and bathroom stalls, face lit by the lights along the beach.</p><p>The stalls of showers are actually nearly empty, which is probably better, considering the way Ryuji pushes him into the one furthest away from where people are walking.</p><p>“Someone’s eager,” Ren says, and gasps when Ryuji turns the water on and pushes him up against the wall.</p><p>“I really don’t know how many times I have to tell you how hot you are,” there’s a leg slotting between Ren’s thighs now, pushing up at his growing erection and <em>wow</em>, “before you get it.”</p><p>“Remind me one more time?” Ren gasps, and rocks down onto Ryuji’s leg, riding to muscle of his thigh with a gasp.</p><p>“Sexy as shit, Ren, <em>damn</em>,” Ryuji says, his hands moving from Ren’s shoulders down his arms, and around his back to take a handful of his ass and <em>squeeze</em>. Ren whines, and Ryuji arcs into like Ren he’s a magnet. “<em>Fuck,</em> baby<em>,” </em>he growls, and one of the hands on his ass is moving down to grip under his thigh and pull it over Ryuji’s waist, and Ren has to remind himself that they’re way too in public for the noise he makes when Ryuji rolls their hips together.</p><p>It jostles Ren against the wall, and he presses his palms flat into the surface to give himself some leverage before his legs give out. Ryuji buries his face in Ren’s neck and nips at the surface of his skin, rolls his hips again almost as hard as he can, and Ren whines again, too loud.</p><p>Ryuji’s voice is half admonishing, half breathless. “Keep it down won’t ya? Ain’t trying to get the whole beach bustin’ in here to catch me railing you against a wall.”</p><p>“I didn’t know it was on the table,” Ren gasps. Ryuji laughs into his skin, and Ren feels the bites at his neck slow into lingering kisses. Ren puts a hand on the back of Ryuji’s neck and tugs at the short hair he can reach. “You can leave marks,” he whispers, and pushes his hips against Ryuji’s again, feels arousal wash through him like a wave. “You should leave marks.”</p><p>“Fuck, fuck, jesus,” Ryuji says, and he’s setting Ren down on shaky legs to dart half out of the shower.</p><p>“What are you up to?” Ren asks, keeping his palms flat against the wall of the stall. He’s trying to blink against the dark, but his body feels like it’s coming apart at the seams and Ryuji’s has barely even touched him.</p><p>When he ducks back through the curtain, Ryuji shakes a little bottle between two fingers, and even in the low light, Ren can see the gleam in his eye.</p><p>“Travel sized lube?” Ren asks around a breathless laugh. “Do you always keep that on you?”</p><p>“Gotta be prepared,” Ryuji quips, and he’s crowding Ren against the wall again.</p><p>Ren clicks his tongue. “Naughty boy, Ryuji. Is Mr. Pro-surfer screwing around with his most dedicated behind the scenes?”</p><p>“Nah,” Ryuji says, and he reaches down to hook fingers in Ren’s shorts. His nails are short, but they scrape at Ren’s skin anyway, leaving sizzling lines of sensation in their wake. “Just you.” The way he catches Ren’s eyes makes his heart go soft, and Ren can’t help leaning down to press his mouth against Ryuji’s.</p><p>Ryuji tugs at Ren’s waistband. “Is this okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, yes,” Ren says, choked up strangely on all the affection suddenly cropping up for Ryuji. “Anything you want.”</p><p>“Tall order,” Ryuji says, and he’s sliding Ren’s shorts down over his legs. His eyes catch hungrily on Ren’s cock, mouth falling open on a panted breath. “Goddamn.”</p><p>“Don’t stare,” Ren says, wrapping an arm around Ryuji’s neck and using the other to get his own pants off. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s rude?”</p><p>“Did I dream you?” Ryuji says breathlessly and reaches out to stroke his fingertips along Ren’s dick gently. Ren shivers and sighs, unusually sensitive. Without his permission, his hips follow the movement, the heat curling in his stomach pulsing so hot he can barely breathe. “Like, there’s no way you’re this perfect.”</p><p>“Speak for yourself,” Ren says, and tracks his eyes over Ryuji’s <em>everything</em>. He’s still tanned from the sun, pale skin almost white on his hips where his shorts cover him, and his dick is almost intimidatingly thick. Ren thinks he should really be embarrassed by how quickly his mouth waters. “What was that about railing me against the wall, again?”</p><p>“Oh, that?” Ryuji says, and he’s flipping Ren around, pressing his body up against the wall with his shoulders against the plane of Ren’s back. He grinds into the curve of Ren’s ass with another little shove that has Ren curling his fingers into fists beside his head with a groan. “All you have to do is ask.”</p><p>“Please, <em>please</em>,” Ren says, and shivers when he hears the lube snap open, though the water of the shower is starting to cool on his neck. Ryuji’s body heat is burning hot, and Ren thinks blankets have jack shit on the hard line of Ryuji’s chest. “You fuck like you surf?”</p><p>“What, perfectly?” Ryuji asks, and Ren feels his body back off a little bit, water starting to drip down his shoulders a bit, before Ryuji’s thumb presses against the small of his back and slips down to prod gently at his hole.</p><p>“J-jackass,” Ren breathes, trying not to buck his hips backwards. Ryuji’s finger is slick with lube, but he’s not pushing in yet, just rubbing at Ren until he’s panting against the wall, his skin too sensitive. When he finally pushes in it’s slow, and Ren feels it burn so good he’s arching off of the floor a bit, hips jerking backwards. His feet scratch against the sand on the floor and Ryuji puts a hand on his hip to keep him still.</p><p>Ryuji works him open slow and methodical, pulling out to press two fingers in at once and rock into him with them slowly, which makes Ren groan low in his chest. He wants to tell Ryuji to get a move on, nearly reaches back to just take over the job himself, but he has a full shift to work at Leblanc tomorrow, and he’d rather not be dealing with probing questions from Sojiro on why he can’t stand straight.</p><p>Ryuji murmurs something sweet into the back of Ren’s neck that makes him dizzy, and when Ryuji curls his fingers just right and presses <em>hard</em> into Ren’s prostate, he crushes his mouth against the wall and <em>moans</em>, too loud for how relatively exposed they are.</p><p>“<em>Fuckin’, </em>Ryu<em>--ngh</em>!” he swears, and Ryuji does it again, rips another too loud sound out of Ren’s throat. “St-stop,” he begs, and Ryuji’s hand stills. “I’m—<em>hah</em>—c-cover my mouth with your hand.” Ryuji’s hand on his hip lifts and then drops back down like he’s hesitant. “<em>Ryuji,</em>” Ren whines, and reaches back to move his hand up his chest towards his mouth. “You h-have to. If you don’t, I’m going to scream one of these time.”</p><p>“Yeah?” Ryuji asks, like he’s somehow unsure Ren is more turned on than he’s ever been in his <em>life</em>. He still fits his hands over Ren’s mouth at his urging and makes a noise of surprise when Ren licks over his palm. He starts moving his fingers again with a groan. “Oh <em>fuck</em>, Ren.”</p><p>Ryuji slides a third finger into him and Ren sobs, body snapping up against the wall so hard the whole shower shakes.</p><p>“Hold on, sweetie,” Ryuji mumbles, and every push of his fingers inside of Ren is making him go cross eyed, arching higher and higher up on his toes, the heat in his stomach building too fast, too much.</p><p>“<em>Sftpf,” </em>Ren says against his hand, and Ryuji pulls away to let Ren take a few shaky breaths and speak clearly. “Stop,” he gasps. “Stop it, I’m gonna come if you—If—”</p><p>“Shit,” Ryuji wheezes, and he’s pulling his fingers out, just resting them on his hip and Ren shakes at the empty feeling, foreign and open. “I’m gonna—”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, do it,” Ren says, and his heart stutters when he hears the sound of the lube opening again, and the hand that was holding his face braces against the wall, the one on his hips lifting away.</p><p>Ren feels Ryuji start to press inside, and its so hard to breathe he thinks he’s drowning, even as slow as Ryuji is going. “Ryuji,” Ren groans, and his voice cracks.</p><p>“God, you’re pretty,” Ryuji says reverently, and the hand beside his head moves, ends up resting against his hips. “Your tan lines are sexy as hell, Ren. I didn’t even know they could look that good on someone.” Ren just whines, and tips his head back, trying to take more shuddering breaths as Ryuji <em>keeps</em> pushing inside, <em>jesus</em>, he didn’t remember him being this long. “You have like two little moles on your neck I just want to kiss over and over.”</p><p>Ren wants to say something fun and clever back, but Ryuji bottoms out and Ren sobs, his cheek pressed against the cool material of the wall. Ryuji strokes over his hip. “You okay, baby?”</p><p>“<em>Good</em>,” Ren moans, and he twitches his hips back a little bit to gauge how it feels, and both him and Ryuji groan.</p><p>“Think I can move?” he asks.</p><p>“Was hoping you would,” Ren slurs, and the first drag of Ryuji in and out of him burns, and then it feels good, and then it feels <em>so</em> good Ren is actually worried about his vocal chords come tomorrow.</p><p>Ryuji swears, and then he’s fucking Ren in earnest, knocking his cheek against the wall repetitively, and holding Ren by the hips with a grip so tight, Ren grins against the wall thinking about his handprints against his skin. He’s so strong, and Ren is about to ask him to go <em>faster, harder,</em> but Ryuji pulls out and flips Ren around, and slides back in and <em>oh,</em> Ren thinks this is so much better.</p><p>They’re face to face now, and the new angle genuinely feels like Ryuji is trying to stir up his insides, brow knit in concentration and his face tense. Ren brings his hands up to pull him into a messy kiss, and Ryuji hooks one of Ren’s legs over his hips again and Ren howls, lets Ryuji groan into his mouth and fuck him harder, until it feels like he’s holding onto his life by a thread curled around Ryuji’s arms.</p><p>Ryuji’s hand finds his cock, and he slicks his hand over Ren’s skin, jostles Ren against the wall with similarly timed thrusts, and when Ryuji presses a kiss too soft to Ren’s shoulder he comes like a tidal wave, holding onto Ryuji’s shoulders while he fucks him through the earth-shattering orgasm of a decade. He thinks he actually sees stars for a few seconds, crying Ryuji’s name into the crown of his head, and he feels the stutter in Ryuji’s hips before he comes, panting Ren’s name back quietly into his shoulder.</p><p>Eventually, Ryuji drops his leg, and Ren ends up just standing and holding him against the cold water, trying to piece his brain back together from what feels like a factory reset. Idly, Ryuji gropes around behind him to find the shower handle.</p><p>“You okay?” Ryuji asks, and he’s still panting a little, but he manages to support Ren’s body weight when he slumps forward.</p><p>“I do believe, good sir,” Ren says, voice gravelly. “That you did fuck the soul out of my body.”</p><p>Ryuji laughs, and wraps an arm around Ren’s waist. “My bad.”</p><p>“Holy hell, do <em>not</em> apologize,” Ren says, and winces his weight brings back the little prickle of discomfort that’ll probably get worse low in his back.</p><p>“We’re still kind of a mess,” Ryuji laughs, and turns around to look at the shower head. “Definitely blew through all the hot water, though.”</p><p>Ren would say it’s fine, but there’s come dripping down his thighs, and he feels more grimy than he did before they stepped inside. He sighs. “I’ve got to ride the train.”</p><p>Ryuji gives him a sympathetic smile. “I’ll help you clean.”</p><p>“You better,” Ren teases, and pulls Ryuji closer so he can kiss him again. He shrieks when the cold water starts up again.</p><p>Eventually, they do get clean, and Ryuji walks him to the station, a hand low and possessive on Ren’s back. He feels warm, and content, and excited to go home and sleep better than he has in probably years.</p><p>They stop just at the foot of the subway, and Ren turns to say goodnight, before some very enthusiastic waving catches his attention.</p><p>“Ren!”</p><p>“Ryuji-senpai!”</p><p>He’s still not prepared for the way Futaba nearly knocks him over with a hug, wincing out an <em>oof</em> and staggering backwards. Behind her is Yoshizawa, more appropriately standing with her hands steepled in front of her, though Ren can see the brightness in her eyes.</p><p>He peels Futaba off of him gently by her shoulders, smiles back when her huge grin catches his eye. “Hey, kid.”</p><p>Futaba wrinkles his nose at him. “Stop that. You sound like Sojiro.” She turns and seems to notice that Ryuji is there for the first time. “Oh, hi, Sakamoto. Didn’t see you there.” Ren raises an eyebrow at her because he knows she calls him by his first name when they’re alone.</p><p>“Hi, Futaba,” Ryuji says, and apparently Futaba has fulfilled her polite socialization quota, because she turns back to Ren.</p><p>“Are you headed home right now? We can ride together!”</p><p>“Yeah,” Ren says, with a ruffle to Futaba’s hair. He glances over at Ryuji and smiles. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, yeah?”</p><p>Ryuji nods, and then glances at Futaba, and then Ren’s mouth, so Ren rolls his eyes and leans over to peck him on the lips. “Goodnight,” he says softly.</p><p>“Goodnight,” Ryuji echos, and he’s off with a smile.</p><p>Futaba gapes at him, and her face says <em>You will tell me about this later,</em> but she turns to Yoshizawa and gives her a huge crushing hug. Ren winces in sympathy. She’s tiny, but she hugs like a grizzly bear. “Bye! Congrats again!”</p><p>“Thank you,” Yoshizawa says, and gathers Futaba’s face in a squished pout so she can kiss her on the tip of her nose.</p><p>Futaba watches Yoshizawa turn and go, and then puts a finger in Ren’s face. “Not a word,” she says firmly. Ren lifts his hands in surrender.</p><p>They ride home quietly, Futaba apparently suitably exhausted from her day, and Ren is starting to feel sleep set in on him too. Were it not for Futaba, he’d probably be passed out with his head knocking against the window right now.</p><p>Dreamily, Futaba rests her head on Ren’s shoulder. “She won her heat today,” she purrs.</p><p>“That’s great,” Ren says, and wonders if Ryuji is still feeling the bite of his loss. He’ll text him about it later.</p><p>“She kissed me,” she says, in that same starry-eyed tone, but Ren can see her cheeks starting to turn pink.</p><p>Ren chuckles and leans down to rest his chin on her head. “Ah, young love.”</p><p>Futaba wrinkles her nose again. “Would you stop trying to sound like Sojiro? Also, you have a hickey, like, right there.”</p><p>Ren laughs.</p><p>Futaba falls asleep on his shoulder, and Ren is jealous of her ability to sleep almost anywhere, given the right amount of exhaustion. He pulls her onto his back and carries her back to Leblanc, has Sojiro push open the door so he can get inside. He sighs as Ren sets Futaba down in one of the booths near the door. “Oh boy. I feel like you two are going to get older and some things are just never going to change.”</p><p>Ren brushes some of her hair out of her face. “Probably. That girl she likes won.”</p><p>Sojiro hums, and his next words manage to have a sly smile and gentle parental disapproval in them. “Well, you certainly had fun.”</p><p>Ren tries not to reach up and slap his hand over whatever marks are starting to show up on his neck. He isn’t starting to regret telling Ryuji to have his way, but he is itching for a higher neckline. “Uh—"</p><p>Sojiro shakes his head and leans against the counter. “You’re an adult. It’s none of my business what you do with your time outside of my business.”</p><p>Ren cracks a smile. “You’re a pretty cool dad.”</p><p>“I’m not your—” He sighs. “Help me drag my daughter home. And <em>don’t </em>forget you have a shift tomorrow.”</p><p>Ren laughs, and bends down to scoop Futaba up again. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”</p><p>His Sunday shift starts easy enough, Sojiro makes him cook curry while an old couple circulates through and asks him about school (No, he doesn’t know what he’s majoring in, no, he’s not worried about finding work after college right now). Sojiro sends him out around noon to pick up an ingredient delivery from his house, and by the time he gets back, there’s a very familiar blond head of hair leaning over one of the counters.</p><p>“Ryuji?” Ren asks, closing the door with his foot.</p><p>Ryuji twists in his chair and smiles. “Hey, man! I hope it’s okay I’m here you, uh, mentioned you had a shift today.” He picks his phone up off of the counter and waves it in explanation.</p><p>Ren carries the boxes into the kitchen and sets them down on the floor, before dusting his apron off. “No, you’re fine. I guess I just didn’t expect you to come.” He joins Sojiro behind the counter and slides his glasses up his face.</p><p>“Lover boy here was just telling me about some of his international escapades,” Sojiro says, in an even tone. He’s holding an unlit cigarette, just twirling it around his fingers.</p><p>“Aw, come on, boss,” Ryuji whines. “I told you not to call me that.”</p><p>“Hey, you’re messing around with one of <em>my </em>kids,” Sojiro gripes, and Ren pops a toothy smile.</p><p>“Thought you said you weren’t my dad.”</p><p>“I’m <em>not</em>,” Sojiro growls, but it sounds a little weak, even for him.</p><p>He turns to face Ryuji. “The old man take care of you already?”</p><p>“Yep!” Ryuji chirps, and he lifts a half-empty iced coffee up. “I told him I’m not a big fan of coffee, so he hit me with this.” He takes a sip and smiles. “Ain’t half bad.”</p><p>Sojiro huffs, very clearly thinks it’s much better than <em>half</em> <em>bad</em>. “I’m gonna step out for a smoke.” He throws a glance in Ren’s direction. “Hold down the fort, won’t you?”</p><p>“Aye aye,” Ren says, and he waits until the door jingles closed, before he turns back to Ryuji. Silence settles, strangely heavy, and Ren shifts his weight onto his other leg.</p><p>“Didn’t know you wore glasses,” Ryuji says, and Ren blinks at him, before realizing that they haven’t really met up off of a beach. Then Ren is laughing, and Ryuji is cracking a smile over the edge of his drink.</p><p>“Didn’t know you wore shirts,” Ren flirts back, and Ryuji flushes a little over the tips of his ears. Ren leans his elbows onto the counter. “So, what brings you around here, <em>lover boy.</em>”</p><p>“Ugh,” Ryuji says into his drink. “Futaba was right, stop trying to sound like boss.”</p><p>Ren drops his voice into a low timbre, growls, “Come on now, hot stuff.”</p><p>Ryuji’s blush spreads across his face, betrays the even glance he sends Ren’s way. “You’re ridiculous, dude. I just came to see you,” he says, and Ren’s stomach does a little somersault. “Make sure we’re… okay.”</p><p>Slowly, Ren stands up off of the counter. “Should we not be?”</p><p>Ryuji’s eyes go wide, and he jumps in his seat. “No! Er,” he rights the drink he almost knocked over, winces, and sits back to run a hand through his hair. “Y-yeah! We should… be okay.” He takes a half shaky breath, and Ren feels the tension he hadn’t realized was building up on his shoulders slip away. Ryuji sighs. “I’m not used to this, can you tell?”</p><p>Ren leans forward and grabs the hand Ryuji isn’t idly tapping against his glass with. “That’s okay. I think we should be okay.” He laces their fingers together, and smiles when Ryuji takes a deep breath. “I mean, I think we might be better than okay.”</p><p>“Think we could definitely be better than okay.” Ryuji says, and squeezes Ren’s hand. Ren grins, and sees the sun in Ryuji’s answering smile, thinks he still smells like the beach and salt water, but it’s mixing with Leblanc’s coffee and floor cleaner, and Ren wants to hop the counter and just hold him there.</p><p>Ryuji’s eyes go soft, and Ren hears him knock a knee into the counter. “You’re, um, I—”</p><p>“Yeah?” Ren asks.</p><p>Ryuji scrubs at the back of his neck. “You said yesterday that I was the best thing that ever happened to you.”</p><p>“I did,” Ren says, bringing Ryuji’s hand up to kiss his knuckles. “You are.”</p><p>Ryuji takes a nervous breath. “I feel the same. About you. I think I—uh…” Ryuji turns his face. “Do you want to date… me?”</p><p>Ren drops Ryuji’s hand away from his mouth. “You do realize you’ve fucked me in a public shower by now, right?”</p><p>“Oh my god,” Ryuji groans, and lifts his arm to cover his face. “I know, I’m sorry, I should have said this first—”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Ren laughs. “Yes, Ryuji, I want to date you.”</p><p>Ryuji peeks his face out from under his arm with a smile. “Really?”</p><p>Ren rolls his eyes. “Ask me as many times as you need.”</p><p>“Nope!” Ryuji grins, leaning back forward. He sounds the way he usually does again, voice bright. “Now that that’s out of the way, what I actually came to ask was… are you busy tomorrow? I know we just saw each other but—”</p><p>“Nope,” Ren says, and presses their hands together again. “My schedule’s clear whenever you want me. What were you thinking?”</p><p>Ryuji grins, and Ren feels like he’ll never be ready for the way it turns his heart, makes his legs go weak like he’s got some glorified schoolyard crush. “Come for a ride with me. Nothing serious, we can just sit around and hang. I’ve got more motivation now that I don’t have to keep from kissing you.”</p><p>“You had to before?” Ren says, with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>Ryuji nods. “Oh, definitely. You’re very kissable.”</p><p>“Hm. Are you keeping yourself from kissing me now?” Ren says, and he leans further over the bar, tilting his head down towards Ryuji’s face.</p><p>“Depends,” Ryuji hums. “Are you?”</p><p>“Oh, I don’t keep myself from kissing you,” Ren says, bumps his lips against Ryuji’s.</p><p>The bell over the door jingles. “Hey, no PDA in my restaurant!”</p><p>“It’s a café,” Ren whispers and smiles as Ryuji laughs into his mouth.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And thaaaat's Beachboy! I hope this story was as fun to read as it was to write (I planned it all out in one go when I was sick and wrote like a madman.) And who knows? Maybe I'll write something for it another day. Here's my <a href="https://twitter.com/tobi_yos">Twitter</a> if you want to stay updated on other stuff I'm writing, and uhhhh have a good day!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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